


It Lives On

by Squirrel_Bait1



Category: It Lives (Visual Novels), It Lives Beneath (Visual Novel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:46:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22845043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squirrel_Bait1/pseuds/Squirrel_Bait1
Summary: Years after the disaster in Pine Springs, Harper discovers that her child possesses the same abilities her grandmother, Josephine, once had. Will she be able to protect them, or will they succumb to a terrible fate?
Relationships: Tom Sato/Main Character (It Lives Beneath)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Harper peered at herself in the mirror, touching at the area she was sure would be a bulging mass in just a few months. Swallowing nervously, she turned around and shook her head, wanting to believe that it was not true.

That she couldn't possibly be pregnant.

The idea had only just recently struck her after a month and a half of sudden, debilitating illness bouts. One second she would be fine, hanging out with Elliot and Tom in the living room, and the next, she'd be rushing to the bathroom. Elliot and Tom had been worried, but she had assured them that it was just a simple, passing sickness - she'd be fine soon. And sure, she got better - it just took too long for her comfort.

The week before was when Harper really began to accept the possibility of it, dread flooding her veins. At one point, about three weeks ago, Danni and her had been hanging out when Danni had speculated if maybe Harper was pregnant or not, having regarded her symptoms and her current relationship with Tom. Harper vehemently denied it, but it sunk deeply into her mind and it hadn't let go since.

That day, it had hit her particularly hard, and she didn't know why. She had gone out with Imogen in hopes of getting her mind off things, and as she was walking back up to her grandpa's cabin, she took one look at Tom, who had been working in the boat shop, and she felt ready to burst into tears and so she promptly ran back out again.

She figured that it may be the increase of hormones her body produced that had caused her to feel so emotional, and it was only then did she finally give in and buy a pregnancy test from the local drugstore - a two-pack, as Danni had suggested.

She had snuck upstairs with the box in hand when she was sure no one had noticed, and sure enough...Harper swore she was going to have a heart attack when the second faint blue line appeared...on both tests.

Harper sighed as she stuffed the tests back into the box and tossed it aside, and flopped back onto her bed with a groan, covering her face with her hands.

She had just graduated college and was spending another summer in Pine Springs with her friends and family, ready to start the next chapter in her life, while Tom was about to go back to Hartfeld in the fall, which was across the country! How could either of them take care of a baby at this point in their lives?!

She felt tears prick her eyes. How she wished she could just call her mom at times like this - she would know what to do. Harper didn't even know where to begin - how would she tell Tom? They were both still so young and he had a bright, certain future ahead of him if he was to finish his degree in robotics. But a baby would mess that up for him...how would he react when she told him? Would he reject her? She certainly hoped not.

At the thought of Tom completely disregarding her, she felt a single tear roll down her cheek and she cursed her hormones.

She breathed in deeply, collecting her thoughts and emotions. She had to be strong about this. If she could take on a vengeful lake ghost, an army of undead monsters, a freakin' cult, and escape when Richard Sutcliffe tried to kill her, then surely she could get through this...right?

Harper knew for certain when it came to Tom that she would have to tell him sooner or later.

Her mind passed to the other people in her life - though, ultimately, Tom's input on the situation was the most important, she knew that the support of the others in her life would help hugely. Danni, Imogen, and Parker would definitely help her through this, be there for her immediately. They were her best friends, after all. Elliot would be there for her, too, even though he would be a bit more clueless about the situation than the other people in her immediate life. He would joke with her and help Harper keep light-hearted through the rather draining events that were to follow.

All of this brought a smile to her face - it was highly reassuring to know that she had these people in her life. But oh god, what would Grandpa think? Another wave of dread crashed over her when the thought popped into her mind. Would he be disappointed or even angry with her? She couldn't bear to think about it, especially after everything they had been through, after he took her and Elliot in when her parents died.

And probably the scariest thing about all of this was the Power. It had been dormant since the disaster in Pine Springs, much to everyone's joy (and paranoia), and she was one of the few people who knew about it. What would happen if it came back? She couldn't count how many times she nearly died through the whole ordeal, and she couldn't get a child mixed up in all of that!

She heard a knock on the door then, and she quickly sat up and hid the box she had tossed aside under her bed. "Yeah?"

"Hey, nerd." It was Elliot. "Tom's here. He said he needed to talk to you."

Harper swallowed. Oh, no. Trying to repress her previous thoughts, she forced a smile and said, "O-okay, just tell him to come up here."

Elliot nodded and turned to leave before suddenly turning back to look give his sister a worried glance. "You okay, goober?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Scooter," Harper replied with a reassuring smile. "Just go have fun with Robbie."

Elliot eyed her suspiciously before saying goodbye to her and turning to leave once again, shutting their bedroom door behind him.

Almost as soon as he left, she heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and there was another knock at the door and she saw the knob twist. Breathing in sharply, she willed herself not to look at the door. A few seconds later, Tom's head popped in, his eyes brightening as he caught sight of Harper.

He smiled at her before entering completely and shutting the door behind him. "Hey."

"H-hi," Harper said as she stood to hug him. She had to force the greeting out of her mouth.

"So," Harper began awkwardly, trying to make idle conversation to avoid the topic she knew he was there about. "How was work?"

"Oh! Uh, you know, same old, same old," Tom said, rubbing the back of his neck before continuing. "So...what happened today?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, you came home, looked at me, and just left," Tom said, the look in his eyes full of concern. "Are you okay?"

Harper shivered at his look, turning her gaze to the floor and feeling the overwhelming need to tell him. She breathed in sharply, bit her lip, tears spilling down her cheeks, her voice trembling. "N-no. No, Tom, I'm not okay."

At this, he instantly perked up and pulled Harper into an embrace, stroking her long, curly hair. "Hey, hey, it's okay...I'm here. You can tell me anythi-"

"I'm pregnant!"

Harper immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. She didn't want to just blurt it out like that, but there it was, now out in the open.

And Tom's world stopped momentarily. It felt as though the blood stopped running through his veins, like his heart ceased beating, and he stopped breathing all together. Nothing moved or happened for a few split seconds. His mind spun and he felt dizzy as the impact of her words hit him. Then suddenly the blood rushed through his ears and his heart was beating uncontrollably and he was gasping for air - he had been holding his breath. He looked down at the woman he loved, who was staring back at him with wide, brown eyes. His tongue felt impossibly heavy as he spoke. "W-what?"

Harper took a few steps back from him and started rambling, practically speaking in the same breath. "I-I should have told you sooner, but I was so scared of how you would react, what you would say or do and I'm sorry, but I just drank a whole ass pitcher of lemonade and took two tests, Tom, two. And they were both positive, and...now you're not saying anything! Don't you have anything to say about this?"

Tears pricked in Harper's eyes. She knew it. She just knew it. She turned away from him, concealing her tears. But just as she did, Tom strode up to her and wrapped his arms around her. He held his arms around her tightly, her back to his chest. They stood there for a few moments, resounding silence strung among them.

Eventually, Tom turned her around to face him. He wiped the tears from her face with the pad of his thumb. A realization had set in Tom - a part of him was still shocked, but a part of him was also happy. It may have been completely unexpected and unplanned, but...that was his baby. He was not sad or angry as Harper had suspected, but instead filled with sudden, intense love.

"Harper," he finally spoke, a small, shaky smile forming on his lips. "We're...having a baby. A baby." The more Tom said the word, especially in relation to himself and Harper, the more amazed he felt about it. He was going to be a father.

Harper looked up at him then, the flow of tears slowing down. "Wait...so you're okay with this?"

Tom raised an eyebrow at her. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I..." Harper bit her lip. "Well, I..."

"Harper," his tone was serious, steady upon realizing what her eyes were conveying. "I wouldn't leave you like this - don't ever think that. I love you and this baby. I'm surprised, yeah, obviously, but...I'm happy." Harper blinked up at him, her eyes confused. He chuckled a bit, "If I was going to start a family with anyone, I want it to be with you, Harper. And now...now I am."

"B-but what about school?" Harper asked. "I know how excited you were to go back to Hartfeld, and I..." Harper trailed off and she bit her lip again.

Tom smiled at her and brushed a stray curl behind her ear. "Hey, we can make this work. I can still take some online classes, and maybe take on some extra jobs for Arthur. And we can get our own place downtown. Trust me, I wanna be here for you."

Harper nodded at him, before hugging him again, feeling relief in her shoulders at everything he had just said. When she pulled back, he asked the question he had itching to inquire. "So...how far along are you?"

Harper blinked, thinking - she had to be under three months. "I'd say...two and a half months?" Harper thought aloud. Harper found herself relaxing the more she talked about it to her boyfriend. All of this still scared her, but also excited her in a way.

Tom smiled sheepishly at her answer, a blush blooming on his face, before kissing her softly. Against her mouth, he whispered cheekily, "So, around our anniversary?"

A blush crept across Harper's face as well as she remembered the moment. It would make the most sense, after doing the math, that it was conceived on the night of their first anniversary together. It was a rather...momentous occasion. There were a few firsts for both of them that night, and Harper knew she would remember it for the rest of her life.

"I guess so," she murmured against his lips, before effectively shutting him up by kissing him again.

Tom complied, pressing his mouth against hers fervently. After this, he pulled back and was answered with a slight protesting growl from her. He laughed before speaking, "Have you told anyone else?"

Harper shook her head. "No, just you. And Danni, kind of." Her face fell. "I'm honestly scared to tell Grandpa."

"Yeah, well, if anything, he's gonna wanna kick my ass, not yours," Tom joked.

Harper giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Spend the night with me tonight?"

Tom smiled and kissed her forehead. "Sure. We can cuddle up on the couch and play video games 'til we pass out."  
~~

Harper awoke the next morning to find herself on the couch with a cozy blanket draped over her, Tom nowhere in sight. She figured he stepped outside to call his best friend, Andy, to break the news to him, like he said he would.

She couldn't hear their conversation, but looking out the window, she could tell how excited they both were.

Smiling, she turned toward the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and get ready for the day ahead.

Just as she did, her grandpa came downstairs, her stomach dropped within her upon seeing him. Around the same time, Tom came back in through the back door.

"Mornin', Harper," Arthur nodded at her before raising an eyebrow at Tom as he took a seat at the table. "You spend the night, boy?"

"I, uh..."

"Actually, Grandpa," Harper spoke up, quickly changing the subject. She wanted to get this over with. "We have something to tell you."

"Alright, then," Arthur said, shifting in his seat. "Let's hear it."

Harper breathed in deeply as she closed her eyes. Tom strode up next to her and squeezed one of her trembling hands. She opened her eyes again as she breathed out. "Grandpa, I...I'm pregnant."

Harper quickly squeezed her eyes shut as if expecting a blow to the face. She expected there to be yelling, she expected her grandpa to be at her boyfriend's throat!

But he wasn't.

She opened to look at her grandpa again. His eyebrows were raised, an unreadable expression etching his features. "Well, I..." Arthur cleared his throat and spoke again. "I can't say I expected that. Didn't know you had it in ya, Sato."

At this, Tom got extremely flustered, his cheeks flushing a deep red. "I, uh..."

Harper spoke up again. "Wait, so you're not mad?"

Arthur sighed. "You're an adult, Harper. Of course I ain't mad." He gave Tom a dark look then. "But boy, you better take care of my granddaughter and that baby, or I swear, I'll-"

"Grandpa, please," Harper groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"D-don't worry, Arthur," Tom said. "I plan on sticking around, believe me."

"I just hope you kids know what you're doing."

Just then, Elliot came bounding down the stairs. "Hey, Grandpa, I-"

Elliot stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the three adults before him standing around the dining table. "Uh, what's going on, guys?"

"Elliot, you're gonna be an uncle," Arthur said bluntly.

"WHAT?!"


	2. Chapter 2

"EEEEEEE! Ohmygod!" Imogen squealed as she pulled Harper and Tom into a bone-crushing hug.

Harper had sent a text in their group chat, telling Imogen, Danni, and Parker to meet them at Hank's. It was time to break the news to her friends, too.

Danni wore a face that said 'I told you so,' but she was ecstatic for them at the same time, and she and Parker joined in on the group hug as well.

Then came the onslaught of questions from an excited Imogen. "Ohmygod, Harper, congrats! When are you due? You guys know if it's a boy or girl yet? Can we go shopping this weekend? Eek! I'm so happy for you guys!"

"I think you just broke Imogen," Danni joked, grinning.

"First off, they said sometime around March 14th," Harper replied, giggling at her friend's enthusiasm. "And second, I think it's still too early to tell. But Tom and I decided to keep it a surprise."

Harper then slid a picture over to Imogen. "But look, we got our first sonogram today."

Imogen grinned as she held the picture up to the light, Danni and Parker huddling closer to get look at it as well. "Awww, look at that tiny little bean!" she exclaimed.

"Wait, Tom, weren't you going back to Hartfeld next month?" Parker inquired. "I know you guys have done the whole long distance thing before, but now that...you know..."

"Yeah, change of plans," Tom said. "We're staying in Pine Springs for the time being. Harper and I already talked about it."

Parker nodded. "Glad you guys got it all figured out."

"Hah! Doesn't feel like it," Tom chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I'm honestly terrified."

Harper nodded in agreement.

"Ah, it's your first kid, of course you're gonna be scared," Parker smiled, clapping Tom on the shoulder. "But seriously, I'm happy for you guys. You're gonna be great parents, I know it."

The five of them spent the rest of the day hanging out along Lakeview Boulevard, talking, laughing, and swapping stories about their latest adventures.

~~

The months passed by rapidly for the anxious couple. Harper and Tom were able to find a two-bedroom apartment in downtown Pine Springs with the help of Imogen and Arthur. Elliot, of course, would come to visit them and vice versa. When Harper wasn't out doing odd jobs around Pine Springs, or going with Tom on a call, she would be lounging around at home, which of course she got bored with. Luckily, her friends would come over to keep her company, and sometimes the girls would take her out on shopping sprees, along with the occasional drive to Westchester with Tom to visit his parents and friends. Tom and Harper texted each other throughout the day, and he was met with her embrace every day when he got home from work. They often spent the evenings in each other's arms. As Harper was getting bigger, she liked to lounge around the house wearing Tom's shirts and hoodies, which he found adorable.

They debated on the gender - Tom, surprisingly, thought it was a girl, while Harper was set on it being a boy. As time progressed, Tom doted on his girlfriend ridiculously, which she insisted she didn't need, but he still did so - he would make her favorite meals, get her ridiculous cravings, deal with her mood swings (in which she would go from yelling at him furiously to crying and kissing him in a matter of seconds) and every single second he was around her, it seemed, he told her he loved her.

Harper felt odd having something growing inside her. She would touch her growing stomach and just stare at it at times, wondering about the little life inside her, that she was admittedly excited to meet someday soon. She would inspect herself in secret, and sometimes Tom would catch her and at times he would keep quiet and watch her admiringly, while other times he would question her on her actions. Harper would try to scramble away and make up an excuse, but Tom would simply shake his head and pull her into his arms, kissing her and telling her he was excited, too.

The pregnancy progressed gradually, normally. However, panic struck one night, paralyzing the couple. Harper slept beside Tom, his arms wrapped around her rounded stomach possessively. Elliot was spending the night in the other room. It happened in a flash - Harper didn't even know what was happening.

She turned in his arms, snuggling closer, but tangling her legs in his. She was awoken with a start, however, when she felt the sheets below her become wet. Sitting up quickly, she pulled away the blankets, and much to her horror, a pool of blood sat below her.

Tom groggily sat up alongside her, confused by her sudden stirring, and when he saw what her eyes were so focused upon, instant panic set in his brain. As Harper sat there, he jumped up and out of the bed, trying to shake her out of her horrified stupor.

"Harper." She didn't say anything, tears forming in her eyes. "Harper." Nothing. "Harper!"

"T-Tom," she cried, pointing at the growing mass of red liquid and feeling warm tears fall down her cheeks.

"Harper, we need to get you to the hospital. Now!" Tom told her quickly, panic reaching his heart and making it pound wildly. Elliot stood in the doorway, having been awoken by the commotion.

"What's going on, guys?" It only took two seconds for Elliot's eyes to adjust to the mess before him, and they widened. "Oh my god!" Elliot ran to the bathroom, retrieving some much-needed towels. He rushed to Harper's side and he and Tom placed them around a panicking Harper.

As they cleaned her up, Tom slowly got her out of the bed, and when she clenched over in pain and tears poured from her eyes, he immediately pulled her into his arms. Turning to Elliot, a mess of words escaped from his mouth. "I-I'm going to take her to the hospital. Are you...coming with us, or...or..." The fright in Tom's voice was very prevalent, and Elliot nodded at him hastily.

"Just go, Tom! I'll call Grandpa, just go!"

Tom grabbed one of his hoodies, which he covered Harper in, who wouldn't say a word beyond the frantic muttering escaping her lips.

As he ran for the front door, narrowly escaping tripping several times, he swore his apartment doubled in size because he never remembered the trip being so long. The look of pure agony on Harper's face pushed him forward, and he ran for the car desperately.

"Harper," he whispered to her as he gently laid her across the back seat. "You're gonna be okay. He's gonna be okay, too." She simply clutched his jacket around her closer, crying harder at the sound of his voice.

Tom got in the car and floored it to the hospital, adrenaline pumping through his veins. When they finally arrived, he rushed into the emergency room, Harper in his arms, scaring the nurse at the front desk. The young woman was all but prepared for the sight that entered at three in the morning.

She didn't even have time to ask as Tom jumbled out his words. "S-she...I don't what's going on with her...but she's bleeding everywhere. Please, help h-her." The mousy woman simply nodded at Tom, trying not to stare at the mess of blood that had pooled on the backside of his jacket. She was young - she hadn't been in the business long enough to have seen this kind of thing up close, but she'd read about it. She just hoped she was prepared to deal with a real life case of it.

She hastily directed him into a room, and instructed him to place the silently bawling Harper onto the bed. She went to exit the room, but before she could, a slew of older, more experienced nurses came from somewhere and entered the room.

They began to whisper frantically amongst themselves, Tom staring between them and Harper wildly, clutching her hand as though it would stop the steady flow of blood beneath her.

Quickly, an older woman stepped forward, and without a second to waste, asked him what had happened. Poor Tom explained the suddenness of the event and just how much blood there was and how scared both of them were. The nurses - not including the younger one - quickly got to work on Harper, who was losing mass amounts of blood as they spoke.

The older woman from before propped Harper up on some pillows and removed Tom's now blood-stained, ruined jacket. He felt sick at the sight of it, but quickly turned his attention to Harper, who still had tears running down her face, but whose eyes were lidded with the exhaustion and blood loss that was looming over her.

"Harper," he clutched her hand, squeezing it to keep her conscious. Harper's eyes slowly traveled over to meet his, tears spilling from them, uncontrolled. Her expression radiated pure fright, and he felt helpless. Tom then filled with unmitigated panic - nothing could quell his fear until he knew for sure that Harper and their baby were okay. He needed to know and he needed to know as soon as humanly possible. When he saw Harper begin to drift off some more, he instantly jolted her back with a strong tug of their interconnected hands.

"Harper, d-don't-" he was trying to keep his emotions under control - he really was - for the sake of the woman in front of him, but he felt himself spiraling out of control, as well. Feeling angry, indignant, but desperate and worried, tears beginning to well in his eyes, he squeezed them shut, but instead of preventing them, they simply cascaded down his face that much faster.

"Harper," he repeated her name for the third time, looking at her paling complexion. Upon watching her eyelids flutter shut and then open again a few moments later, he felt himself flush internally with emotion and whispered over and over again, "I love you, I love you, I love you."

He heard the nurses working behind him and heard one of them yell something frantically to another, but could not make it out, or maybe he didn't want to. Instead, he focused solely on Harper and keeping her comfortable. Wrapping his arm around her frame, he quickly composed himself to the best of his ability and brought one hand to her chin, turning her face away from the disaster unfolding in front of her.

"Harper," he said to get her attention. "You're doing great - this will all be over soon, I promise. You'll be okay, and he'll be okay, too. Just hang in there."

When she didn't reply, he realized just how desperately he wanted to hear her voice, but her weakened state wouldn't allow it. And it struck him hard then, the inevitability of what could be happening right then - he might lose both the woman he loved so desperately and the child that he never got to meet but loved as well.

His heart beat so rambunctiously in his chest, so filled with panicked adrenaline, it almost pained him. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears and his heartbeat, but nothing the nurses screamed or the clanging of tools and other clutter around him. He was in hysteria. He couldn't lose them.

No.

He heard something then, the most satisfying thing he had heard in years. Her voice - softened - in his ears. Turning to her, he seemed to hear through the loud din around him, and only heard her. "Harper?"

"Tom," she whispered, her tone hushed, breaking his heart just a bit more. "I love you." If it had not been for the way she said it, Tom would have been overjoyed by this bit of progress she was making. But her voice said it as though it was the last thing she would ever say, as if it were her final goodbye to her lover and the world she lived in.

"No," he told her forcefully. "Don't say it like that, you stupid girl! You're not going anywhere!"

Harper didn't have the strength to shake her head at him, so she simply sighed, before settling her eyes closed and through the frightful calls and clatters around her, found peace in a restless blackness, the last thing she heard being Tom's frantic voice ringing in her ears.


	3. Chapter 3

"How long will she need to stay here for?"

"The rest of the week - she could start hemorrhaging again...it's completely unpredictable. She can go home after that, but she needs to be kept under close watch. We can't have this happen again - next time, she won't be so lucky. Also, Arthur, I must inform you that because of this, the birth will be even more difficult. It could have similar effects to the degree of this - anything could happen, but we'll do our best."

"I understand. Thank you."

Harper awoke to two voices conversing somewhere in the room she was in, one of them a familiar, gruff voice and the other, a hushed, whispering tone. She kept her eyes closed, a headache splitting through her head, and heard footfalls as one of them left the room. She suddenly heard more footsteps, some further away, pacing, frantic, quick. Some more then as someone approached her.

"Oh, Harper," she heard the familiar voice say, and with much difficulty, did she manage to open her eyes, instantly regretting it as light poured into her vision and magnified the intensity of her headache.

She heard a clamor around her as she blinked, sensitive eyes adjusting to the light.

"Harper!"

"She's awake!"

"What? Oh my-!"

"Oh god, Harper..."

As she sat herself up, she felt incredibly weak, and the simple gesture was incredibly difficult for her. Her limbs felt sore and her entire body ached. Breathing was difficult and she was lightheaded.

A blur whizzed by, and she was suddenly tackled into a hug. Blinking, she looked down as vision cleared, focusing on the figure that was clutching her so tightly.

"H-hey, Scooter," she managed out as she shakily wrapped her sore arms around him.

"Harper," Elliot sniffled, sobbing into her shoulder. "Oh my god, Harper..."

As Elliot pulled away, wiping his face on his shirt sleeve, Harper looked around the room, her eyes still adjusting to the bright light of the morning filtering in through the window beside her.

She saw her grandpa, Danni, Imogen, and Parker all of them wearing expressions that were a mixture of worried and relieved, and beside her, a bloodshot-eyed Tom. Inspecting the room around her, she noticed how sanitary and sterile it seemed - cleared of the previous night's events, of which she was still not aware - and all the tools and medical supplies around her. Concluding she was in a hospital, she still lacked a reason as to why.

Looking down at the foot of her bed, she saw a pile of white towels gathered around her lower half, and quirked an eyebrow at the tightly-packed mass. Turning to the right, she became aware of the tight grip Tom had on her hand. Looking at him, eyes brimmed red, she wondered what had him so stirred up.

Looking up at Arthur, she spoke again. "What...what's going on, guys? Why am I here?"

She heard Arthur speak before he looked over at Tom. "Harper..." She cast a glance at him before directing her gaze to her boyfriend, his hair a mussed mess, eyes unblinking...the memory came flooding back to her, and tears sprung to her eyes as she pulled her hand away from his and brought them to her face, a horrified expression breaking out on her features.

"No," she said loudly, forcefully, as if trying to convince herself otherwise. "No, no, no." She didn't try to stop the tears that ran down her cheeks, and the others backed off, letting her have some time alone to comprehend everything before informing her of the news.

The memories hit Harper like a shock of lightning - jolting, unpleasant, ungodly. She remember blood - oh, there was blood - and she remembered her mind glazing over in her own internal panic. She remembered telling Tom she loved him before passing out and the frantic screams of the nurses and that was it.

Harper looked up frantically then - if the situation was as she thought, then she should be feeling something - incomplete? Like something - someone - very dear to her was gone, missing, never to have been in her life. But she didn't feel the loss she knew she should have been feeling.

Flushing with newfound panic, Harper threw the blinding white covers off of her bottom half and saw, much to her surprise, that the bump she had sported just hours before was still very much so there. Placing her hands on it, she looked around the room, thoroughly confused.

But...shouldn't it be...gone? Harper hated to think of the possibility of it, but after what had occurred the night before, she had every belief that she was no longer going to be a mother and was horrified. But the little life was still growing inside her.

Though confused, now tears of happiness instead of fright poured from her eyes. She smiled, before feeling a pressure over her hand again and knew instantly it was Tom's. Turning her head, she saw a small smile forming on his face, and she would have turned and thrown her arms over his neck in sheer glee if not for the lack of strength she possessed.

Squeezing his hand, she used the other one to wipe away her seemingly never-ending tears and asked the question on the tip of her tongue. "What happened?"

Arthur, who had water building at the corner of his eye, smiled before sighing at her. "You scared the hell outta us, Harper," he said. "Elliot called me about four in the morning going about how you were bleeding and how Tom had taken you here. Didn't understand at first, but didn't care about that, either - all we needed to hear was that you were in trouble and we were right on the way. When we got here, you were out cold, and while you stopped hemorrhaging a lot, there was still a, um..."

The man paused, composing himself as he remembered the horrifying events that unfolded just hours before. "...a steady stream going. Tom was...Tom was..." Arthur looked over at the younger man, whose eyes were wrought with emotion, before deciding to tell his own side of it. "Tom was hysterical, I'll just say that. We couldn't get him to leave your side and he hasn't since. You've been here a few hours now. It was only about two hours ago you were stabilized, though, Harper."

He sighed before continuing, giving into his emotions, letting a single tear fall as Elliot joined him at his side, placing a hand on the older man's shoulder. "We were all so worried about you, Harper. And the baby. We...thought you were going to die."

The tone of Arthur's voice dropped significantly as he said the last part, and Harper realized how difficult it must have been for him to have been faced with the possibility of losing his granddaughter - of losing yet another family member.

Reaching her hands up, she smiled at the man. "But I didn't, Grandpa," she reassured him, before his repressed sobs bubbled over, as did Elliot's, Parker's, Danni's, and Imogen's, and they all piled in to a group hug.

Squeezing them as tightly as she could, Harper closed her eyes and just held them for a long, unspecified amount of time. Eventually, she looked over at Tom, who was smiling at her, eyebrows upturned in a sign of relief.

Soon, the group retreated from Harper's side, and Arthur, upon seeing Tom's expression, realized he needed to speak to her alone. Ushering everyone out of the room, the door clicked shut, signifying that Tom and Harper were finally alone.

Breathing in shakily, he looked at her again, and forced out a wheezy "Hi."

Relaxing into the plethora of pillows behind her, Harper greeted him back softly. "Hey." The pair sat in comfortable silence, staring at each other, for what seemed like forever, but both were more than content with it.

Soon, though, Tom's resolve for staying composed broke and his own tears strayed down his cheeks as he stood up and embraced her, squeezing her as though she would disappear at any given second in his arms. After pulling back, he placed a hand on her stomach, and Harper asked shakily, having not received a direct answer from Arthur, "So, he's okay?"

"Thankfully, yes," Tom sniffled. He looked at the floor then. "I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't gotten you here in time though - they told me that if...if..." Harper simply embraced her tearing up boyfriend softly, holding him closely.

"I'm here now, Tom," she whispered in his ear. "And so is he. That's all that matters." Tom breathed unevenly against her neck, before nodding and pulling away again.

"God, it was horrible, Harper." He stopped and looked away, as if reliving the painful memory, before continuing. "After you were stabilized, they told us that you were hemorrhaging. I-I know you thought...thought you were miscarrying - I did, too - but no, hemorrhaging." The word - miscarrying - was forced off his tongue, and Harper noticed, taking his palm in hers and squeezing it.

"But still, you lost so much blood and it was pretty severe. But, thank god, they told us that, if kept under careful watch, you and the baby should be fine. But they said that the birth could be just as bad if not worse, so we'll have to be extra careful around the due date. You'll have to be in a few days before, probably."

Harper was silent as she took in the information - blood, hemorrhaging, birth, due date, herself, baby, fine. All that mattered to her was that she hadn't lost her baby - that he...or she...was still okay. Tears of utter relief and happiness brimming her eyes, she leaned forward and embraced Tom suddenly, wetting the flesh of his arm with fresh waterworks. He wrapped his arms around her weakened frame, and whispered into the crook of her neck, "I love you, Harper. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

Pulling back, he gave her a long, hard, serious look, before crumbling into his own currently unstable emotions, feeling tears tug at his own eyes, as well. "I-I wouldn't - I was so damn scared, Harper, you have no idea. You passed out and I thought I lost you and I couldn't breathe and I thought I was going to die, too, and- and-"

Tom had already begun to accept what had happened so early that morning, but a new fear had washed over him before she had woken up when he was informed that a similar incident could possibly occur again in just a few months' time. It was rattling and unsettling for him to hear. "Harper, I-I-"

Harper muffled her boyfriend's frenzied rant with her lips, pressing her mouth to his softly, but firmly. Tom took a few seconds to adjust to the sudden feel of her lips, but upon re-familiarizing himself with the flesh he had missed so dearly, did he give her a response, which she relished. They held their lips together for a long, unbroken moment, suspended in their sweet lip lock.

When they pulled back, they smiled at each other, and Harper placed her hand on Tom's cheek to comfort him further. Pulling her thumb against the skin comfortingly, she whispered to him, "I love you, too, Tom. And I'm here. I'll always be here."

He planted another fluttering kiss atop her lips and promised himself that he would do anything and everything to protect her. He was going to tell her this, but by the look in her eyes, he knew that she knew, and that it was a mutual arrangement and agreement.


	4. Chapter 4

"Tom!"

"Andy!?" Tom exclaimed as he was tackle-hugged by his best friend. "Uh, not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"Dude, I hightailed it out here as soon as I got off the phone with you," Andy said, recalling how distraught his friend sounded in their phone conversation. "Holy shit, are you okay? Is she okay?"

Tom gave him a weary smile. "Y-yeah. She's doing better now." Before Harper had woken up, Tom called Andy and frantically recounted the events of the past night to him. Andy left for Pine Springs as fast as he could so he could be there for them. That was his best friend and his family! Andy gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder, and Tom led him to the room Harper was in, where she was currently resting. She turned her head and gave Andy a weak smile upon seeing him.

"Hey, Andy," she said as she wrapped her arms softly around his neck when he leaned in to hug her. "It's good to see you again. Although I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Same," he replied. "Tom told me what happened, and I came here because I was worried about you guys. I'm glad the baby's okay. How are you feeling?"

"I'm better now, but still kinda weak," Harper said. "They want me to stay here for a while in case something happens again. How's school going?"

Andy's face broke into a huge grin and he glanced over at Tom. "Oh man, we have some catching up to do."

The three of them spent the rest of the day talking, laughing, and exchanging stories, and debated on the baby's gender and who they will look like. Having their friend around for the day eased much of the young couple's stress.

"Good luck, and keep me updated, man," Andy told Tom as he was about to head back to Westchester. "I seriously can't wait to hold Mini Tom."

"Will do," Tom said, chuckling.

"Bro hug?"

"Bro hug."

~~

Harper spent the rest of the week at the hospital, slowly gaining back her lost blood supply and strengthening her body again. Tom virtually didn't leave her side, only leaving to go home and clean up before returning. At one point, one of the nurses got annoyed with his constant presence, although Harper didn't mind it one bit, and so the nurse shooed him off, telling him to go get at least one night of proper rest. Harper, although enjoying his company, agreed he should - he had been sleeping in broken periods upon constantly staying with her, and by the fifth day there, he looked as rugged and broken down as she once had.

Tom left reluctantly, but not without a verbal fight and having to be escorted out by Arthur. Arthur assured him that everything would be okay, but couldn't blame his apprehension. There was nothing preventing the same accident from happening again, but if it did, the consequences would surely be graver than the first time. And so Danni, Imogen, Parker, Arthur, and Elliot all took turns checking on Harper, allowing Tom a much-deserved night of full, undisturbed slumber.

The next week, Harper returned home, never happier to see the sun directly. Tom became more protective of her, insisting that he do things around the house that she normally could do herself. She acted annoyed by this, but she secretly loved it. Although the fact that he no longer let her come with him on calls bummed her out.

At one point that Harper couldn't point out directly, Tom started to act oddly, avoiding her or making up lame excuses to leave her be, acting flustered and concealed when in her presence. Harper's unrealistic emotions caused for her to get angry at his leaving her, but he could easily cease her yelling with a simple touch and kiss, calming the young pregnant woman.

His blocked off, awkward behavior continued on when he asked her to go out with him one evening. While she was annoyed by it, as the evening continued on, it lessened and he relaxed (but he still remained a little tense) and she began to find it adorable and endearing. Eventually, they branched off from the restaurant they had been having dinner at and found themselves walking along Lakeview Boulevard.

Harper wanted to hold hands with him, but every time she reached for one, he would pull away and place the hand in his pants pocket. After several unsuccessful attempts at trying to grasp at his fingers, Harper stopped and turned to him, emotions and hormones flaring.

"What's your problem?" she asked him in a harsh tone.

Tom turned to her, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants for the umpteenth time that night nervously. Surprised by her words, he opened his mouth to answer, but she didn't allow him to as her emotions flew out of control and she started to rant.

"I don't get you, Tom!" she went on and on, and he stepped back. After dealing with quite a few of these hysterical emotional fits over the past few months, he knew it was better to just let her run her mouth off and tire herself out or let her own body get its chemicals back in balance before speaking to her. She carried on and on about things not relevant to the situation at hand, and after several minutes of bombing him with barrages of words, did Tom pull her down on of the many piers overlooking the lake.

"Harper," he squeezed her hands, which were resting in his. Harper looked up at him with questioning, still slightly annoyed irises, quirking her eyebrow up. He looked around - anywhere but her - before taking one of his hands and brushing it through his hair nervously. Next, his hand traveled to his pocket, where a little box sat.

Harper watched, getting over her childish anger and beginning to become worried about his current, overly quiet demeanor. "Tom?" she brought her hand up to his cheek and touched at it gently. "What's wrong?"

Fumbling with the object in his pocket, Tom started at the sound of her soft voice in his ear, turning his distracted thoughts back to the woman in front of him. Breathing in deeply, he caught her confused gaze and gathered all the courage he could, beginning his extremely practiced speech, but finding himself forgetting phrases and words left, right, and center.

"Harper," he began, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her close to him - as close as possible, considering her protruding stomach. "We've been together for a while now - we've loved each other for a while. And now - soon - we'll be starting a family together - we'll be parents. I, uh-h-" He forgot his words, then remembered them to the best of his ability and continued, "And every day, I think to myself how lucky I am to have you in my life. What did I do to earn you, Harper? I honestly don't know, but I won't argue with whatever brought you to me because now that we're here, together, I plan on protecting and doing everything I can to keep you by my side."

"Harper...that night...i-it made me realize how much you mean to me, and I know I should have done this sooner, but I was just so scared that you'd say no, and I-"

Tom was rambling, Harper knew, but she didn't interrupt him. She could see something glowing in his eyes that signified that all this talk could culminate in something staggering. As he continued to speak, she became nervous for some reason and to distract herself, she put her hands on her stomach and played with the fabric splayed over it, but still held eye contact.

"B-basically, Harper, I-I love you, you know that, an-and-" He took one of his hands and dug into his pocket, and Harper's heart stopped. Kneeling down slowly, he revealed the gorgeous, silver, glittering band to the pregnant woman, and indescribable emotions swept over her. "Harper, will you marry me?"

For a few minutes, no words were exchanged, no movements made. The moment was suspended in air, and Tom waited eagerly, impatiently for her response, unfaltering, unmoving, damn near not breathing.

Swallowing to wet her suddenly dry throat, her mind and heart racing a mile a minute, Harper regained her wits and nodded, slowly at first, then quickly as the question sunk in and a smile extended over her face, her cheeks flushed rosily.

A wide, bright smile like none other spread across Tom's face, and he shot up quickly, slipping the ring on her finger and wrapping his arms around her. Placing a sweet kiss on her lips before she could say anything, such elation had flooded through him that he thought he was floating for a second, before coming back to reality.

When he pulled back to study Harper's expression, with a jolt, he noticed she was crying.

"H-Harper," he started, placing a hand on her cheek to wipe away the tears. She brought her hand to rest atop his.

Sniffling, she raised her head and peered at him, eyes half-lidded. With a smile, she said, "How did I end up with a guy like you?"

"I could ask you the same thing - how the hell did I manage to snag you, Harper?" At that, he repeated his question from earlier, now that their minds were clearer. "So, you'll marry me?"

"Yes, Tom! Come here, you cheeseball!" she laughed, planting a firm kiss on his lips.

Tom had never loved another word in the English language more then, and feeling it surge through his veins once again, he wrapped his arms around her to the best of his ability, kissing her passionately. Harper easily fell into the kiss, having not been in a lip lock like it for a while.

Tom jumped in surprise when he felt a strong kick in his abdomen, sending him back. He blinked at his new fiancee's stomach, and they exchanged grins and laughed.


	5. Chapter 5

Imogen nearly fainted when she saw Harper's engagement ring. She began to babble about wedding plans, while Danni went on about all the pictures she would take. Parker urged her to tell them all about their engagement story. Arthur and Elliot were happy to see her so cheerful, even if they came off as a bit annoyed at how much she gushed over it. Arthur was just the slightest bit relieved that Harper and Tom were a bit more serious than they had originally let on.

The last few months passed easily, leisurely, with Tom and Harper making the mutual decision to tie the knot after the arrival. Tom became increasingly nervous and doting as the due date approached and barely let Harper out of his sight. She found it endearing. He just wanted to be a father so bad, but at the same time, he wanted to preserve the short amount of time he had left of it just being him and Harper. Soon, their nights would be filled with the soft, constant cries of a baby, of which would keep them up regularly.

So when a week after her due date passed, Tom was a bit more than annoyed and confused, while Harper just wanted it all to be over with in favor of having her mobility back, to wear normal clothes again, and to just be comfortable. Where was their baby? He just wanted to hold him or her right then! He stayed by Harper's side at every waking second - what if she went into labor when he wasn't around? What if another hemorrhaging episode took place and no one was there to help? Tom couldn't even bear to think of what could happen if he left her alone! So after a few more days passed, Danni waved him away, wanting some alone time with her friend, too, and she insisted that Harper could stay at her place. Danni advised him to go home and get some sleep and stop worrying - nothing was going to happen. Oh, how wrong she was.

Harper enjoyed spending time with her. They talked about trivial things, along with how her job at ClickIt was going and how her family was doing. They even went over baby names for a short bit, something that she and Tom had neglected up until then. While Harper liked some of the names she could think of, and a few Danni proposed, none of them struck her.

After a while, the pair crawled into their beds, murmuring gently until sleep overrode their brains and caused them to fall into a slumber. Danni fell asleep easily, but Harper, unable to get comfortable, laid on her side and closed her eyes. She began to speculate how the child would look and be like. Would it be a boy or girl? She and Tom had decided to keep it a surprise so they could get creative when setting up the baby's room, but sometimes she regretted that decision. She was just so anxious! Who would he or she look more like?

As the thoughts raced through her head, Harper's exhaustion finally weighed down on her eyelids heavily enough that she was able to overlook her discomfort and lull to a gradual sleep. But as her luck would have it, just as her mind began to succumb to the tempting darkness of sleep, did she suddenly feel something wet between her legs.

With a jolt, she sat up and threw the blankets to the side. Much to her delight, and deeply-instilled fear, there was not a spot of blood in the liquid. It was clear, it was water. And then it hit her - oh god, it was water. Her freaking water had broken.

Her heart beating wildly, it took Harper a few minutes to find her voice before she called to her friend frantically, "Danni." No response - she simply flipped over, facing the wall. "Danni." Still nothing. "Danni!" Harper shouted, and the girl shot up.

"What? What is it?"

Harper swallowed, and pointed at the end of the bed. Eyes widening, Danni jumped up. "Oh god, oh god, oh god...I'll call Tom or whoever and I'll take you to the hospital, just... stay here!" Harper could see that Danni was just as flustered as she was, the only difference was that in a few hours, she wouldn't be having a baby.

"I wasn't really planning on leaving," Harper called sarcastically as she lay down, trying to grasp the situation. Of course, this would happen when Tom wasn't around. Of freaking course.

Danni whipped out her phone and quickly mashed the 'call' button, swearing silently to herself as it rang. When Tom finally picked up, still groggy from sleep, he asked her why she was calling him at three in the morning.

"Think, Tom," she said. "Why would I be? Harper's having your kid! Get the hell up!"

At these words, his heart seemed to jumpstart and he felt like he was having a momentary cardiac arrest. "I'll meet you there," he said before hanging up the phone. Bolting up, he collected his everyday clothes, his mind spinning. This was it - he was going to be a dad, responsible for another human being. And honestly, he was so scared it was almost debilitating, and he had to stop to catch his breath a few times, flitting in between his utter incomprehension and fear all at once.

He tripped on his own feet and fumbled a bit, and finally grasping the situation a bit, he bolted out of the apartment.

~~

Harper grumbled, stretching out to the best of her ability and lying uselessly against the pillows placed behind her. Danni and Imogen sat on either side of her, doing their best to comfort her, and she listened to what they said intently before another contraction shook her weakening frame.

She clutched her friends' hands, both of whom squeezed back. Arthur felt useless as he paced at the other end of the room, feeling guilt pass through him as he watched his poor granddaughter in pain. He wished he could prevent her from feeling it somehow. He also felt bad that her parents couldn't be there for her during such a significant milestone in her young life.

Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. There it was - the feeling that in just a few hours, he'd have a great-grandkid. The thought scared him a little, but then he looked at Harper and thought of how terrified she must be at the moment. Unable to bear watching her be in pain, he joined the three of them on the other side of the room, and standing next to Danni, he took Harper's hand squeezed it like Danni and Imogen had been.

Harper relaxed as the contraction disappeared, blowing a stray curl out of her sweaty forehead. Almost immediately upon arriving to the hospital and getting placed in a room, did the contractions rock her, shaking her to her core and renewing her fear, rooting it deeply.

They had simply gotten worse and longer as time passed, and though Harper was undoubtedly a strong-willed person, they were riding on both her patience and her body. She was exhausted, having gotten no sleep since the day before.

Biting her tongue, she wondered where the hell her boyfriend - no, fiance, she still hadn't adjusted to that! - was.

As though Tom had heard her mental pleading, he entered the room frantically a few moments later, huffing heavily. He leaned against the wall to regain his breath, before he looked up and saw Harper, and his breath was taken away all over again.

Wandering over to the girl, she smiled at him slightly. Danni nodded at Imogen and they both stood up and exited the room, not before hugging Tom and Harper.

"How could we be so stupid, Tom?" Harper shouted at him. "Why would we even do this? Now I...now I have to push this thing out, ugh!"

She threw her arms out, exasperated, hormones fluctuating. Tom blinked at her, before smiling softly and sneaking a kiss onto her forehead. "Love you, too," he whispered, taking a seat beside the bed.

"S-so," he began, "any news on how much longer?"

"She's barely dilated," Arthur said. "This could take 'til tomorrow if the baby feels like being difficult."

Tom nodded, frowning. He just wanted to meet their baby now. Sighing, he stood up, squeezing Harper's hand. Harper's eyes drooped and then closed, and her head turned a bit, noticeably drifting off.

Tom blinked down at her form, before walking over to Arthur. The pair stood by each other quietly, before Tom placed a hand on the older man's shoulder. The intense look in his eyes told Arthur it was important, and so they wandered out of the room, despite wanting to keep a constant eye on Harper.

Upon shutting the door, the two men stood silently, unmoving. Swallowing, Tom spoke up. "Did-" he coughed, clearing his throat before continuing, "Did you ever feel nervous? Like, when Harper's mom was born?"

Arthur stared pensively at the ground, but upon hearing his words, smiled slightly and looked up. "You have no idea."

He sighed, chuckling to himself a bit as he remembered his daughter's delivery. "I was older than you, but still, nothing can prepare you for your first kid - doesn't matter how old or young you are. Either way, you're gonna be scared. But it gets easier, I promise."

Tom blinked at the man, wide-eyed, and Arthur guffawed. "Not that I expect you two to jump on having more right after this one. Seriously, I expect you to wait a few years."

Tom nodded hastily. "I have no plans about rushing into another kid, Arthur. I just want to appreciate this one first."

Arthur smiled, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. "You really love her, don't you?"

Tom smiled genuinely. "What was your first clue? The ring or the baby?"

Arthur let out a noise between a sigh and a laugh, shaking his head. "You know, I didn't trust you at first, kid. But you've been incredible to her, and I just...just wanted to thank you for that." Arthur looked away. He was never that good at touchy-feely stuff, as he called it.

The scene was awkwardly quiet for a few seconds afterwards, before Tom broke it, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Thank you, too, Arthur," he admitted. "For just...being there."

They stared at each other for a short bit before nodding. The silence between them was broken by Harper's shout, and Tom tensed and immediately made for the door, Arthur following swiftly and shortly afterwards. Tom saw tears of pain and frustration running down Harper's face, and he made his way to one side of the bed and clutched her hand, trying to comfort her to the best of his ability. "Just a bit longer, Harper."

Biting her tongue as the contraction, stronger and more excruciating than the last one, rocked her body, Harper managed to choke out, "Easy for you to say! You don't have to give birth to it, dammit!"

Tom kneeled down and wiped the sweat off her brow and the tears from her cheek. "You're right," he frowned. "I'm sorry. But just think, it'll all be worth it in the end, right?"

Harper, through the curtain of pain in her mind, focused on his words. He was right, it would all be worth it after it was over. They'd have a little baby to call their own in the end of it. And that thought made Harper more scared and elated than anything.

Tom heard her whimper in pain from beside him, and he wished he could take her pain away. He then got an idea, and standing up, he instructed Harper to sit up a bit and lean forward to the best of her ability, which wasn't much, considering the literal ball in front of her preventing her from enjoying anything at the moment. She groaned, disliking all the movement, but when she felt Tom's fingers gently, but firmly, knead into her tense back muscles, did she let out a little contented sigh.

He smiled at her reaction, knowing that a good massage would do the trick to help her relax a bit.

Tom worked from her shoulders downwards, and talked to her casually to soothe her even more. "So, now would be your last chance to put down whether you think it's a boy or girl...I'm still going with girl."

"Boy," Harper countered. "Definitely a boy."

Tom grinned behind her, leaning forward and placing a tender kiss on her shoulder and collarbone. "Soon, Harper."

Harper placed her hand on top of his, which was resting on her shoulders. Curling her fingers around his, she whispered with a faint smile, "I know."

Just then, another contraction hit her, and her fingers dug into his hand and she clenched her mouth shut. Tom wrapped his arms around her and held her back flush against his chest, swaying back and forth comfortingly.

Harper contained her pained cries this time, and it eventually ended. Turning to Tom, she gave him a pointed, unimpressed look. "Soon isn't fast enough." He laughed.


	6. Chapter 6

Hour after painfully long hour passed, and each time the nurse checked to see how much more dilated Harper was, it never seemed to go up. She was certainly dilated and it was definitely progressing, albeit excruciatingly slowly. The contractions grew so frequent and violent that she swore she was dying.

It wasn't until late that evening that it all started to happen. Harper was drifting off in between contractions, desperate for just a wink of sleep, and Tom snoozed lightly beside her, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles soothingly. The nurse came in for the sixth time that day, and upon checking, she informed them that Harper was completely dilated and it wouldn't be too much longer.

And she was right - because twenty minutes later, Harper was wide awake and the baby wanted out! "Oh. My. God!" Harper cried, in complete and utter pain, unlike anything she had experienced with the contractions. If hell had a real life equivalent, Harper was damn sure it was the birthing process.

On one side of the bed, Arthur held one of her hands, and on the other, Tom. He kept brushing back her curls, which fell into her face. Two of the nurses stood at the end of the bed, directing Harper.

"Come on, Harper, push!" And Harper did as she was told. Considering this was the first try, the baby was obviously not born just like that. With the pain that flowed through her, she felt a situation-induced bout of hatred for the father of the child. Just why did she have to be put in this situation? Why her, of all people? The nurse spoke again, and with a bit of irritating encouragement from Tom, did Harper reluctantly cooperate. Harper promised herself right then and there that she was never having another kid.

The nurse spoke again, but at this, the woman's eyes went wide and she frantically called for towels. Tom's heart clenched in his chest, and he felt himself stop breathing. One of Arthur's hands went to his mouth, and Harper noticed and lifted her head up.

"W-what?" she asked. "What's going on?" Harper couldn't even what was going on through the panic of the room, and so she felt the fear that clung to her foggy mind intensify, hitching her breath and making it hard to breathe evenly.

"Harper, you're doing great," Tom reassured both her and himself. "I promise, it's almost over."

Harper nodded, smiling, but with a start Tom noticed her pale and her eyes look less lively. No. This wasn't happening again. Not when they were so close.

He looked up and saw one of the nurses pull away two towels, drenched in a thick, red blood, and panic coursed through his system. Arthur looked like he was gasping for air, and looking down at Harper, he watched as the literal life was pulled away from his granddaughter and felt a violent tug at his heart that made him feel ill.

Justified tears formed in Tom's eyes, and he wiped away at them furiously, not letting Harper see them. His heart broke when he saw her eyes drift shut, and he shook his head. "No, dammit!" he shouted, surprising the weakened woman below him, effectively keeping her awake.

The nurse looked at Arthur quickly. "If we can get this baby born, we'll be able to treat Harper more successfully." Arthur nodded at her, and took one of Harper's hands again.

The nurse nodded at both Tom and Arthur, and commanded Harper once again. "Push!"

Harper completely lacked the strength required for the task. She had no will left to move in her. "Harper, please," Tom begged from above her, kissing her nose. "We're so close."

Harper forced her eyes to look up at him, and saw the tears dripping from his face. From the sniffles to her left, she knew her grandpa was now joining in with the tears. Pain shooting up her body, Harper gathered all the strength she had and followed through with what she was told, tears spilling down her own cheeks.

This was all too much for her. Again, she heard a shout from one of the nurses, and she continued to draw strength from some unknown source within her, but when another five minutes passed, towel after towel getting soaked and then removed from the room only to be replaced, did the dam officially break and tears flooded over Harper's face, falling into her hair, and she screamed. She couldn't do this anymore!

Turning to Tom, she choked out, " _Fuck_! I can't do this anymore. I just can't!"

"Harper, listen to me," he spoke clearly, calmly, despite his inner, spiraling emotions. "You can do this. There isn't anything you can't do - because you're Harper. The woman I, quite frankly, don't deserve, but loves me anyway. I'm here, babe. We can do this."

Harper peered up at Tom with dull eyes, tears pouring from them. He squeezed her hand and tried to project to her how much he cared about her and how strong he knew she was. Harper bit her lip, and with one last bit of her strength, did she give another push, and the soft screech of a newborn broke the heavy tension of the air.

Tears of a different variety filled Tom's eyes, the sound of his baby's voice struck his heartstrings, and pulled at him. He was a dad now, and Harper was a mom. Together, they were parents.

The sound of the baby flooded Harper with a new energy, renewing her resolve and helping relieve her aching muscles in just the slightest. She blinked away the tears that sprung to her eyes, and without any direction, continued to push.

She heard a shout, but she couldn't make out the exact words. She was focused on seeing this baby, holding this baby now. She, however, could make out the next three words clear as a bell as they rung through her ears.

"It's a girl!"

Harper's heart swelled with indefinable love, despite the hardships she was currently facing. Tom felt his stomach flop at the announcement, pride surging through his veins. He could barely remember a moment he had been so deliriously happy, besides when Harper had accepted his proposal. A smile breaking out on his face, wide and prevalent, he bent down and pressed a kiss to Harper's lips. "You did it," he cried, pressing another one to them, tasting the salt from her tears.

Harper, with much difficulty, raised her hand to Tom's cheek and held it there, unconditional love being communicated through their unbroken eye contact. " _We_ did it," she whispered. He nodded at her, before dipping his head to capture her lips in his again.

The baby was handed to the younger nurse who handled her with great care. She severed her umbilical cord and cleaned her off, while the other nurse continued to clean the never-ending mess of blood Harper was producing. Despite the fact that she had just given birth, Harper was still hemorrhaging horribly.

The nurse swore under her breath, before turning away quickly, going to a cupboard on the other side of the room, searching and then grabbing a vial of medication and a needle. She hurriedly deposited the medicine into the syringe and then rushing back over, she quickly administered the dose of medication into Harper's thigh.

She continued to place blankets and towels around Harper. "That should help clot the blood. Then we can finally get this under control. For now, we'll just have to keep checking on her until it kicks in."

Arthur nodded at her, before walking over to see his great-granddaughter. A small smile formed on his face as he gazed warmly at her jet black hair, her big, brown eyes that reminded him of Harper's, and long, dark eyelashes. She somehow looked exactly like both of her parents, but in the best way.

The younger nurse from before saw him admiring the baby, and weighing and measuring her quickly, wrote down the amounts (seven and a half pounds, nineteen inches), wrapped her in a cozy white blanket and then handed the still crying baby to Arthur, and she instantly calmed down. He smiled. Arthur brushed the baby's soft skin tenderly and chuckled. "Hey there, kiddo." Everyone was going to love her.

He continued to watch and hold the baby as Tom held tightly to Harper's hand, speaking comforting nonsense to the woman, reassuring her that everything would be okay and she'd get to see their baby soon. When Harper began to drift to sleep, Tom smiled at her form and reluctantly left her side. She was getting some well-deserved rest, and while he knew she wanted to see their child, it could wait.

Tom stood then, and walked over to Arthur. Arthur reluctantly handed the baby to Tom, wanting to keep holding his great-granddaughter all to himself. Tom peered down at his daughter with wide eyes, and she looked up at him before closing her eyes and teetering in between sleep and wakefulness like her mother just had. He studied his daughter - ten toes, ten fingers, a cute button nose not unlike Elliot's. He felt so much love for the little being that had only been in the world for fifteen minutes, and it was incredible. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and felt tears form in his eyes when he heard her squeak in reaction then hiccup.

"H-hey," he spoke to her for the first time, and she blinked at him. "I'm your daddy." He tilted the healthy little girl towards the snoozing Harper, who had a smile curled on her lips. "And that's your mom." She blinked at him again, before she tapped her hand with his and his smile just widened, and he brought forth his finger for his daughter to grab, which she did. The room was filled with a comfortable quiet, only interrupted by the baby's frantic babbling and Harper's soft snores. He tickled her toes a few moments later, which caused a short noise, not a laugh, but a noise, to escape her mouth, touching up his previously broken heart.

The nurse from before watched him admire his baby for a few moments longer, before directing Tom and Arthur towards the door and out of the room. "Let's leave Harper be now. She deserves a nice, long rest."

They nodded, and Tom eagerly exited the room to show the baby off to everyone, but not before he delivered a kiss to Harper's forehead.

Danni was initially awkward about holding the child - she felt like Harper had seven months before; like she'd break her or something. But once she got used to the feel of the soft baby in her arms, did she begin to hold her close and admire her. Parker moved in closer to Danni and extended his arm, smiling when the little girl wrapped her tiny fingers around one of his own. "She's got one helluva grip, considering she's not even a day old."

Eventually, the nameless child was handed to Elliot, who peered at his niece, studying her. He smiled when the baby smiled up at him, and Robbie, who was sitting next to him, wrapped an arm around Elliot's shoulder and admired his new niece along with him.

"Oh, she's so pretty," Imogen cooed as she took the baby in her arms. "I'm gonna spoil you rotten, just you wait." Imogen grinned up at Tom. "I'm totally stealing her."

Tom laughed. "Fight me, Wescott."

Imogen suddenly peered behind Tom, and he followed her gaze, spotting two familiar figures, one of them excitedly running toward him and roughly throwing his arms around him. "Tom!" It was Andy.

Tom grinned, returning the hug. "Andy! You finally made it."

"Sorry I'm late," Andy said. "But I got your text and ohmygod, congrats, seriously!"

As Tom pulled away, he looked up to see the other familiar figure in a black hoodie striding forward.

"Devon?!"

"Hey," Devon said casually, placing her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. "Andy told me what was up. Just thought I'd stop by and say congrats. Everyone else says congrats, too."

"Thanks," Tom replied, pulling Devon into a one-armed hug. "Dude, it's so good to see you guys again. You have no idea how happy I am right now."

"Uh, Tom?" Imogen cut in, still sitting with the baby in her arms, eyes wide with curiosity. "Who are they?"

"Oh, uh, these are my friends from Westchester," Tom said, taking the baby from Imogen and handing her to Andy, who was eagerly waiting to hold her. "You guys never met, huh?"

Andy was instantly enamored with the child, grasping at her and cooing over her, commenting on how much she looked like her daddy. The little girl smiled at his antics, which made his animated grin grow even larger.

Devon smiled at them before leaning in to whisper in Tom's ear. "Noah said Harper was in trouble." She stepped back and spoke again, her voice still lowered. "Is she okay now?"

"Y-yeah," Tom said, smiling over at Andy, who was taking pictures of the baby with his phone. "They're both okay, thankfully."

"Good," Devon smiled, before it faded back into a serious expression. "Um, I also wanted to tell you that the Power went kind of crazy earlier. I was just talking to Connor about it. So just be on your toes."

"Right," he nodded.

"She's so freakin' cute!" Andy exclaimed before turning to Devon. "Devon, you wanna hold her?"

"Nah, I think I'm g- oh!"

Devon stopped when the baby was quickly thrust in her arms and she awkwardly took her in them. She relaxed when the little girl cooed up at her, tiny hands curiously reaching for the drawstrings of her hoodie, making Devon smile. "What a sweetheart," she giggled, handing the baby back to Tom. "Congrats, Tom."

She nodded at Andy then. "Yo, Andy, you heading back to Westchester with me?"

"Yeah, hold up," Andy called to her, before clapping Tom on the shoulder. "Congrats, man. You're gonna be great dad. I hope Harper feels better soon."

As Andy and Devon said goodbye to everyone and turned to leave, Tom sat on a small sofa behind him, everyone watching and closing in on him as he cuddled the baby to his chest. His steady heartbeat lulled her into a sleep, an adorable yawn rising from her mouth before she drifted off. As he watched her, he felt a yawn catch him as well, and before he knew it, he was falling asleep, too. He wanted to spend more time with his daughter - hell, he wanted to never let her go - but he didn't want to drop her, either, so handing her off to Arthur, who gladly took her back, a tug at his heart as he gave her up, he settled against the sofa cushions and easily accepted sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Tom woke up early that morning, and entered Harper's room to find her still fast asleep, tan skin still as pale as ever. He walked over to her bed, and his fingers grazed her cheek, wishing it would flush with the blood she so desperately lacked. Settling in a seat beside her, it took a few seconds for the grogginess of sleep to wear off and realize that he had a baby, who was nowhere to be found. He hopped up, fear seizing his heart. She may be with the people he trusted unconditionally, but he was still a new father, uneasy about not knowing the whereabouts of his daughter.

Just as he turned around, he saw Arthur open the door to the room, baby in tow, gurgling against his tan jacket. "I bet you were wondering where this little girl was," he chuckled upon seeing his expression. "Judging by your face as of now."

Tom swallowed and nodded. Arthur stepped forward and handed the little girl to her father. "She's a joy already...they can't stop talking about her."

Tom smiled, and looked down at his baby admiringly. "Yeah...I love her so much already."

Arthur nodded and smiled to himself, remembering feeling the same way when his own daughter was born. He had immediately fallen for the child - she was his perfect little girl, and always would be. Oh, how he missed her. A question then pricked his brain. "You two have a name picked out for her yet?"

Tom was a bit shocked by the question. To tell the truth, he hadn't the faintest idea of what they were going to name her - it still had to be discussed. "No," he shook his head.

Arthur nodded again. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll suit her." He then stretched, joints popping. "I gotta take Elliot home. Frankly, we both could use a good nap...I'll be back later. Parker, Imogen, and Danni are right down the hall if you need anything."

Tom nodded. "Okay. We'll be here."

Arthur peered around Tom at Harper and his face fell, frowning. "I hope she wakes up soon. I want her to see the baby - we all do."

Tom looked from his daughter to Harper and back. "True."

The pair exchanged a short glance before Arthur stepped towards the door again. "Welp, I'll be off now and give you guys some alone time. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Tom called softly, and the door closed with a gentle thud. Pulling up a chair, he sat beside Harper's bed, content with the idea of waiting until she woke up.

A half hour passed, during which Tom took pictures and videos of his new daughter on his phone, and sent them to all his friends and family back in Westchester, and posted them to his Pictagram. He knew his mom was definitely going to _flip_.

For a moment, he glanced over at Harper. Whatever medication they had given her had apparently worked, and he felt relief in his heart at this. Harper was going to be okay - they were still going to be a family. Not that Tom wanted to think of the possibility of Harper dying, but it had been very prevalent just hours beforehand, and a chill ran down his spine, the thought of it haunting him a bit.

Harper's breathing was shallow, uneven, inconsistent, and short, but soft and at least _there_. Tom frowned as her brow furrowed in her sleep, signifying discomfort. Taking one of his hands, his other arm around his daughter, he held Harper's hand, determined to make her as comfortable as possible.

A few more minutes passed in silence, and then Harper shifted, and slowly, but surely, did her heavy eyelids flutter open. She sat up with difficulty and stretched a bit, but found she could barely move from the perpetual weakness of her blood-deprived body. Her head flopping against her pillow, she closed her eyes again and let out a sigh.

And then she heard a voice and a soft coo from beside her that made her heart stop and restart.

"Hi."

Her eyes flew open and blinked at the man beside her, who was smiling tenderly at her. She took in the sight before her with hitched breath - the man she loved with...with a baby. Her baby. Their baby. Their _daughter_.

"H-hey," she said back, straightening a bit. She looked at the bundle in Tom's arms and felt something wash over her, leaving her feeling stunned and breathless. He noticed where she was staring, and his smile grew. "She's here...she's finally here."

Harper blinked, unable to comprehend everything. She was a mother now. Tom released her hand then as he lifted his daughter away from his warm chest to let Harper finally hold her, knowing that even though she wasn't currently saying so, that she wanted to desperately, as he had.

Harper slowly lifted her arms, which ached. She took the small bundle in her hands and then, as she retracted them to her chest, readjusted her arms to accommodate the baby in them. Harper felt her heart swell as her daughter blinked up at her mother, eyes bright and curious as to who this new person was. An immediate smile broke out on Harper's face as she trailed her daughter's rosy cheek with her finger, and she felt tears spring to her eyes as the realization of it all hit her. She was okay - this baby and herself. All of it - everything - was okay for once and Harper had never felt more content in all her existence.

Tom watched the two girls he loved most in his life with happy eyes, before standing up and wrapping an arm around Harper's shoulders, peering down at their daughter with her. "She's perfect," Harper choked out after a while of just studying her daughter's features.

"Like her mama," Tom commented, which made Harper giggle, the chiming noise shook in his ear. He had missed her laugh.

"Dude, this is all you," she said. "She's basically your twin."

He laughed. "Everyone's been saying that. But I dunno, I think I see more of you."

Harper craned her neck up to look at him. They peered at each other passionately for a few moments before their lips connected softly, and they held them there before the baby below them began to whimper, wanting attention. Harper smiled against Tom's lips before pulling away and snuggling her daughter against her chest, shushing her and trying to comfort the small being, who carried on for a short bit before calming to a gurgle.

Tom pulled Harper's hair back from her forehead and placed a kiss on it. As he sat down on the side of the bed, he drew his mouth to her ear and whispered, "I love you so much, Harper."

She turned her face to look at him, their eyes only millimeters apart, burrowing into each other. Harper blinked, her eyelashes brushing against his nose and her warm breath beating against his lips. "I love you, too." She looked back down at the baby. "Her, too. I love her."

"I do, too," he admitted easily.

Another comfortable silence cast over the room. They stayed huddled closely, quiet. Stroking back the baby's black hair, Harper watched as she began to drift off again. "So I guess you win...it's a girl."

Tom blinked, trying to understand what she was saying, before a good-natured grin broke out on his features. "You're right," he nodded. "I win this time. Maybe next time it'll be a boy."

Harper turned her head then and raised an eyebrow. "Next time? You're crazy if you think I'm doing this again."

Tom chuckled at Harper's cynicism. Blinking from Harper to their daughter, his eyes lingered on the baby as he asked then, "So...names. What do you think?"

Harper shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I don't like any of the names either of us have thought of so far. None of them seem... _her_."

Tom nodded, studying the baby as he tried to think of a name suggestion that he thought would suit her. What to name her...what to name her...and then he got an idea, eyes brightening as he turned to Harper with a barely contained smile tugging at his cheeks.

"Harper," he began. "What was your mom's name?"

Harper's heart stopped as he spoke the words and felt insurmountable emotion fill her. "M-Marie," she managed out. "Her name was Marie."

"I thought about naming her after my mom, too, but I'm thinking that can be her middle name," Tom said, his face fell when he noticed the faraway look on Harper's face. "What...what do you think?"

"Marie Akiko," Harper thought aloud, a smile creeping across her face after a moment. "I like that. It's pretty."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Harper smiled, bringing her face down to nuzzle noses with her daughter. "Mom would've loved her."

"So, Marie Akiko, it is then?" Tom asked her hopefully.

Harper tilted her head up and placed a kiss on his lips. "Marie Akiko, it is."


	8. Chapter 8

Tom was reluctant to leave Harper and Marie's sides at all, but had to after a while to return home, which was inevitable, and while Marie was able to leave after two more days, healthy as could be, Harper was still considerably weak and needed more time to regain her lost strength.

He didn't want to separate Harper from the one comfort in her life at the moment, so he would come visit them after work, looking after the fussy baby while Harper slept, and crawling into bed next to Harper to snuggle them both.

After two weeks passed, Harper was deemed strong enough to leave, but was ordered to refrain from participating in any strenuous physical activity. She may have gotten stronger, but she was not fully healed, and wouldn't be for a while. Although, Harper was ecstatic to finally leave. She swore she was getting so sick of the hospital.

When she finally returned home, her whole friend group was there waiting for her, and she received a very eager welcome from everyone, especially Elliot, who practically jumped into her arms.

"Finally! I missed you, goober."

"Oof! Hey, I missed you too, Scoot," Harper laughed.

"We all missed you," Danni said as she and all her friends huddled around Harper. "How are you feeling?"

"Ugh, I feel so much better already," Harper said with a sigh of relief. "Especially now that I can breathe again and don't have to pee every five minutes."

"And I get to see my baby again!" Imogen exclaimed as she took Marie from Tom's arms, holding the baby on her shoulder, who cooed and grasped at her shirt with her tiny fists. "Oh, I missed you so much."

Tom scoffed. "Um, your baby?" he teased.

"Damn right, I'm her godmother now. Right, Harper?"

Harper laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, sure, I guess."

"So when are you guys leaving for Hartfeld?" Parker asked. "We need to plan a going away party or something."

"Seriously," Elliot said, crossing his arms and flopping down on the sofa. "It's gonna suck not having you guys around for who knows how long."

"We'll still come and visit, Scooter," Harper said, and she turned and grinned at Imogen. "But there's actually one more thing I want to do before we leave Pine Springs, though."

Imogen's eyes lit up upon realizing what Harper was implying, and she squealed. "I'll go get my wedding planner!"

At this, Marie began to stir and fuss in her arms, and before Harper or Tom could react, Elliot jumped up from his seat and walked over to her. "Lemme see her."

Elliot took his niece in his arms, shushing and bouncing her slightly, letting her rest her head on his shoulder, and Marie eventually calmed down, stuffing one of her tiny fists in her mouth, big, curious eyes roaming around the room. Harper looked at her brother with wide eyes, taken aback by this, then grinned. "Aw, Scoot, I bet you and Robbie will be great parents one day."

Elliot's face flushed a bright red. "Sh-shut up."

~~

With a sudden tensing of muscles, Harper gasped as she was jolted awake from another nightmare, breaking out in a cold sweat. She glanced over at the clock on her bedside table. 3:26am, it read. She sighed as she flopped her head back on her pillow, running her hands over her face as her tired eyes adjusted to the darkness.

Everything that had happened in Pine Springs two years before, her parents, hell, even the more recent events still affected her more than she let on, the horrifying images of the many undead monsters she faced, the Society's symbol, and even flickers of Richard Sutcliffe's menacing grin still burned into the back of her mind.

She still had nightmares where she bled to death, ones where she or her daughter lost their lives...

She shuddered, shaking the awful thoughts from her mind, and she turned over to see her daughter still sleeping soundly between her and her soon-to-be husband, blissfully unaware.

Harper wrapped her arms around the quietly snoring baby and pulled her close, kissing her temple and nestling her face in her hair, letting out a contented sigh as all the tension in her body was eased. She hoped that Marie would never have to experience anything like the things she did.

Aside from the nightmares, Harper's lack of sleep as of late came from looking after their daughter throughout the night, and she stubbornly refused any help with her, as it provided her with a sort of distraction.

All of this worried Tom, but Harper insisted that everything was fine and that she just wanted to spend more time with their daughter.

In her first weeks home, Marie proved quiet and easy to calm and control, but she quickly showed her true colors - if she wasn't getting paid attention to, she made a commotion until she got what she wanted. Harper had to admit that it was too much for her at times, and she worried whether she was doing a good job as a mother, and if she could handle it.

"Harper?"

She glanced up to see that Tom was now awake and had rolled over to face her.

"Can't sleep?" he whispered.

She shook her head.

"C'mere."

He moved in closer to Harper and wrapped an arm around her, and planted a little kiss to the top of Marie's head.

"Something bothering you?"

Harper bit her lip, swallowing nervously. "I'm fine. Really."

Even though she couldn't see it in the dark, she could feel Tom's intense gaze, making her wince. "Really? Because you've just been kind of...I dunno, distant lately. I'm worried about you."

She sighed, hugging her daughter a little tighter. "I just...I've had a lot on my mind."

"Nightmares?"

No response.

He touched his forehead to hers. "I get them, too."

A few moments of silence passed between them before Tom spoke up again.

"But I'm here if you want to talk about it. You know that. And if you need help with the baby, just tell me."

A small smile formed on Harper's face and she blinked back tears. "I-"

But she was interrupted when the baby below her began to stir and whimper, which turned into a soft cry.

"I got her," Tom said, sitting up and taking Marie from Harper's arms. "You get some sleep. Seriously."

Harper decided right then that she didn't need to be afraid, as long as Tom was by her side.

~~

"Hey, Dan," Harper smiled as she stepped into the office, shutting the door behind her.

Dan glanced up from his paperwork and grinned. "Harper!" He rose from his seat to pull Harper into a hug. "Long time, no see. How's your daughter?"

"She's my little goober," she said as she pulled away and took a seat opposite to Dan. "And she needs to stop growing so fast."

Dan chuckled, then a more serious expression passed over his face. "So. Last time we met, we talked about your parents. Of course, we haven't had time to sit down and talk since then. Until now."

Harper nodded, staring down at her feet.

"You said you've been having nightmares," Dan said, poring over his notes, then looking back up at Harper. "And occasional flashbacks...so you're definitely dealing with some post-traumatic stress."

She nodded again, still not meeting his eyes.

"Is there anything in particular you think might trigger these for you?"

"I don't know," Harper replied, wringing her hands. "One second I'm fine, and the next, it just...comes up out of nowhere. And it's like my whole world just stops for a second."

Dan nodded. "I get that."

"And I haven't really talked to Tom or anyone else about it, because..."

"Because you wanted to deal with everything on your own?"

Harper released a shaky sigh, composing herself before continuing. "And when I had Marie, I almost bled to death. Twice. It turns out I have this condition called uterine atony, or something like it, at least. It's what...it's what caused the hemorrhaging."

"Wow," Dan exclaimed, eyebrows raised. "I can see how that could have an impact on you, on top of everything else. I'm glad you're okay, though."

"I just..." Harper trailed off, choking back a sob as her eyes filled with tears. "It's all just too much for me sometimes, you know?"

She clasped a hand over her mouth, turning away as the tears began to spill over her cheeks.

"Hey, it's alright," Dan said gently, sliding a box of tissue paper her way. "Take all the time you need."

Harper delicately plucked a piece of tissue paper from the box and wiped her face.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

She looked back up at him with a small smile, her warm tears melting the block of ice stuck in her throat.

"Let me tell you about it."

~~

"Ready?"

"Ready," Tom replied, pressing the 'record' button on his phone camera and kneeling down in front of Harper, who was standing their one-year-old daughter up on her feet, hands grasping her waist.

Tom held his phone in one hand and beckoned Marie over to him with the other. "C'mere, you."

The little girl looked up at him and smiled, tiny hands reaching out for his phone as she cooed and took a few wobbly steps toward him. He scooped her up in his arm before she could fall over.

"Send that to the group text," Harper grinned. "Everyone's gonna freak!"

Their wedding had been everything Harper could ever hope for. Imogen really outdid herself with planning and coordinating outfits. Everyone had been there. Her grandpa walked her down the aisle, and of course, Andy was Tom's best man. She couldn't think of a better way to spend her last days in Pine Springs, before leaving with Tom for Hartfeld. After getting tearful goodbyes from all her friends, she assured them that they would be back one day.

As the months passed, Marie grew quickly. She was still small and precious, but her hair became darker and longer, her eyes larger and brighter, more curious of her surroundings, which Tom encouraged. He was probably the only one of his classmates who had a wife and baby at home, and that made it a little hard to make new friends, but he didn't care. The feeling he got when he heard his daughter's excited squeals and saw her toddling up to him every time he came home was way better than any dumb college party.

Tom and Harper could not be any more content. For once in their lives, everything seemed...normal.

At least for now.  
~~

Three years later...

The hot summer sun warmed her skin and the breeze mussed her hair as little Marie Sato took in the scenery before her. Her big, curious eyes stared in wonder at the seemingly endless lake that glittered in the sunlight. "Wow..." she breathed. This place was so much different from Hartfeld.

Her father had just graduated from Hartfeld University, and her parents decided to return to Oregon for the summer, reuniting with all their friends and family. Marie was just excited to have a new place to explore. She couldn't wait to play along the lake and hide among the trees in the forest. Her imagination knew no bounds.

Grinning, she hopped off the stoop of her great-grandpa's cabin and ran out to the dock, the wood creaking ever so slightly under her feet. At the edge of the dock, she got to her knees and peered at her reflection in the water below her, giggling as she made funny faces at it. The curious little girl leaned forward a bit to dip a hand in the water.

But then she lost her balance. "Ah!"

She flailed her arms wildly, trying to catch herself, but to no avail, fear taking over. She didn't know how to swim!

But before she could scream, she felt something grab her by the back of the shirt, and she gave a little yelp of surprise as she was quickly yanked back up onto the dock, landing on her backside. Stunned, yet relieved, her heart pounding madly in her chest, she looked around for whoever just saved her.

But there was no one.

She then heard a shout from behind her.

"Marie!"

She whipped around to see her great-grandpa hobbling towards her. The man swore he was too old to be chasing a rambunctious four-year-old around.

"The hell do you think you're doing?" Arthur scolded her. "What have I told you about sneakin' off like that?"

Marie ducked her head in shame. "Sorry," she said meekly.

Arthur shook his head, a weary sigh escaping his lips. "C'mon, now." He took the girl's hand and started back towards the cabin. He knew he was going to get an earful from Harper for not keeping a closer eye on her.

As she was led back to the house, Marie couldn't help but stare over her shoulder back at the lake.


	9. Chapter 9

"Stay with me, Marie," Tom said to the little girl tugging at his arm, who was marveling at the sights and sounds around her - colorful, flashing lights illuminating her little face and making her eyes practically sparkle, only making her animated features appear even brighter. She was so eager to explore this new and exciting place.

Her parents had decided to take a trip to Westchester to catch up with old friends, and of course, Marie wanted to come with them. For old time's sake, they stopped by the barcade where Harper and Tom had spent time together years before, during the hours where kids were allowed, of course.

"I wonder if they still have it," Tom thought aloud as he coasted by the rows of games, with Marie in tow. "Ah, there it is!"

"Ooh, what's dis one?" Marie asked, beaming up at the neon illuminated cabinet, standing on her toes to get a good look at the screen.

"Alley Fighter. I kicked your mom's butt at this game a long time ago," Tom said, smiling as he looked back on the memory fondly. He and Harper had shared their first kiss here, and it was in that moment he began to realize he had feelings for her. It amazed him how far they had come since then, now married and had a daughter together, an expression of their love, the ultimate connection between them.

"That's a funny way of saying you lost," Harper smirked, striding over to them with two pints of beer, handing one to Tom, who looped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek before turning back to Marie.

"Wanna try?"

Marie gasped, her face instantly lighting up. "Yeah!"

"Don't you think this one's a little violent for her?" Harper asked.

"Psh, no way. I've been playing this since I was, like, her age," Tom replied, fishing some quarters from his pocket.

"Can I do it?" Marie chirped, holding a little hand out to him.

"Go for it."

She grinned, snatching the quarters from his hand and giggling at the clink noise they made as she slipped them in the machine. Tom felt his heart swell as he watched her. She was just too dang cute, the way she found joy in the smallest things. To be a kid again.

"Okay, young Padawan," Tom began, leaning over her. "You use the joystick to move around, that button to jump, and that button to attack."

"And you do more damage if you let your attacks charge up," Harper added.

"Think you got it?"

Marie nodded eagerly, standing on her toes, just barely reaching the controls.

"I'm always The Destructor," Tom said, taking his place beside her.

Marie flipped through the different character options before landing on Mr. Muffins. "Aww, I wanna be the dog!"

"He's not nearly as cute as you," Tom commented, reaching over to ruffle Marie's hair, who giggled and tried to push his arm in response.

Harper smiled over the rim of her glass. "You guys are adorable, I swear."

Get ready...

3

2

1

FIGHT!

Marie squeaked in surprise as the round began, The Destructor unleashing a barrage of laser beams from his bracers, which she was able to dodge in just the nick of time.

"Get him, Marie!" Harper cheered her on, a mischievous grin crossed her features then as she got an idea.

She leaned in to whisper in Marie's ear. "Watch this." She then crept around her to sneak up behind Tom, and began to tickle him relentlessly.

"Don't you dare-!" he cried, before doubling over laughing, trying to pry her hands away.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Marie charged up her finishing move, Mr. Muffins howling into the air, and a pack of dogs appeared, tearing The Destructor apart.

"Yes! I win, you lose!" she cried triumphantly, clapping her hands and bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet, then turning to give her mom a high five.

"I was gonna let her win, anyway."

Marie stuck her tongue out at him, before her eyes wandered to the pint in his hand. "Whassat?"

"Rocket fuel."

The girl stared at her father in awe, eyes widened. "Whaaaat?"

"It's beer, honey," Harper laughed. "It's for grown-ups."

"Yeah, trust me, it's gross."

But this only piqued the little girl's curiosity even more. "Can I try?"

The young parents shared a glance, before Harper shrugged. "Okay, just a tiny sip, though."

Tom handed the mug over to Marie, who curiously took it and brought the drink up to her mouth.

Her face instantly scrunched up in disgust and she quickly returned the glass. "Gross!" Her parents laughed at her reaction.

"I told you so," Tom said.

"Look at us, setting such a great example," Harper remarked.

Tom grinned sheepishly at her in response. "What do you mean? We gotta build up a dislike for alcohol in her early so she doesn't ever start drinking."


	10. Chapter 10

Arthur awoke to the morning light streaming in through his window, and he slowly rose from his bed, his old bones creaking as he did so. He figured he was the only one awake at the time as he shuffled through the quiet house before him, stepping over the aftermath of one of Elliot and Marie's movie marathons from the night before. Grumbling to himself, he made a mental note to have a talk with him about leaving a mess in the living room.

As he started toward the kitchen, he gave a little jump of surprise when something caught the corner of his eye, but quickly relaxed when he looked up to see a certain little girl perched up on the staircase, staring back down at him, her face wedged between the balusters. "Boo."

"Boo yourself," Arthur replied, an eyebrow raised in question. "What're you doin' up so early?"

Marie just simply shrugged.

"Didn't your dad tell you to quit sticking your head in there?"

She shrugged again.

Arthur chuckled and shook his head, turning back towards the kitchen. "Well, if you get stuck, I ain't gonna be the one to get you out."

"Eek!" She squeaked, and with a bit of effort, did she manage to wriggle free and get to her feet to face her worst enemy: stairs. They were even scarier from where she stood, the steps seeming to multiply beneath her. Usually, one of her parents had to carry her down, but they were still asleep, and she wasn't going to wake them up. No, she was going to conquer her fear today. Sucking in a deep breath, her cheeks puffed out and her brow furrowed in determination, she gathered up all the courage she could as she tentatively took the first step down. All of that courage suddenly vanished, though, as she gazed down at the plethora of steps, her knees locked, the breath she was holding knocked out of her as she trembled and clung to the railing. She heard someone snickering from behind her.

"You need some help there, buttface?"

She turned to see Elliot standing over her with his arms crossed, amusement playing with the corners of his mouth upon witnessing his niece's antics. Marie scowled up at him and stuck her tongue out, blowing a raspberry at him. "You're a buttface."

Elliot shook his head, and without another word, he bent down and slung an arm around Marie's waist, lifting her up and lugging her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. He used his free hand to steal quick glances at his phone as he hauled the kicking and squealing little girl down the stairs.

"Noooo!" Marie cried, laughing despite herself, beating her tiny fists into his back and trying to wiggle from his grasp, shrieking at him with each hit. "Butt-" Smack. "-Face! Butt-" Smack. "Face!"

"Geez, you're getting heavy," Elliot commented. "What have they been feeding you?"

"Nuh-uh, you are!" she screeched back at him.

"Oooh, sick burn, Marie," Elliot said sarcastically, plopping her down at the bottom of the stairs and using his newly-freed hand to grasp at his chest dramatically. "I'm heartbroken! Devastated! How could you, my own niece, hurt me this way?"

She wrinkled her nose and let a snort escape her. "Dingus."

"Oh, so I'm a dingus now?" Elliot put a hand to his forehead and pretended to faint. "You're killing me!"

Marie could barely contain her laughter. "Stop iiit!" she howled, her little body doubled over as she clutched at her stomach.

"Alright, that's enough, both of you," Arthur's voice drifted out of the kitchen. It was too damn early for all this noise. "Elliot, if you leave a mess in the living room again, I swear to god-"

"Yeah, yeah," Elliot called back to him, then turned to Marie and made a face, moving his hand open and closed like a mouth, eliciting more giggles from the girl. He then reached down to ruffle her dark hair.

"Later, nerd," Elliot said as he turned to leave.

"Hey! Where ya goin'?" Marie called after him, hot on his heels.

"Work," he answered, twirling his car keys on his finger, but stopping dead in his tracks when he became aware of the sudden weight tugging at his leg, and he glanced down to see that Marie had latched onto it.

"No," she told him firmly, indignant, her face twisted in a babyish pout.

"Yes," Elliot countered as he tried to shake his leg free from the girl's iron grip. "Can I have my leg back?"

She wrapped her arms around him even tighter in response, her feet planted firmly to the ground. "No."

"Please?" he said. "I promise, later we can watch dumb videos and you can eat all the garbage we want."

"Promise?" she looked up at him, eyes hopeful. "Can I see Robbie?"

"Yes," Elliot said before his face broke into a mischievous grin, his fingers curled menacingly as he slowly leaned down towards her. "Now release meeee," he growled out in an over-exaggerated impression of the alien from Independence Day. Marie gasped, eyes widening, she promptly let go of his leg and bolted for the kitchen, shrieking and howling at the top of her voice, stopping short upon seeing Arthur leaning up against a counter.

"Dammit, Marie," he said, rubbing at his ear. "What were you told about screaming in the house?"

"Sorry," Marie whispered almost inaudibly, in that second remembering the talks her parents had given her about using her "inside voice," her child mind fearing that talking any louder would get her in trouble.

Arthur smirked. "You ain't gotta whisper."

"Oh, okay," Marie said, her voice rising to a near shout. Arthur couldn't help but chuckle. He suddenly understood why the girl's parents slept in for so long - she could be a handful.

He grabbed his coffee mug then and stood in front of the pot, waiting for the last drip to fall so he could pour himself some. Marie sidled up next to him, hands gripping the edge of the counter as she stood on her toes, taking an interest in the whirring, steaming machine in front of her. She folded her arms and rested her chin upon her hands, her large, expressive eyes watching intently as the dark liquid puddled up the pot.

"Daddy says this stuff gives you superpowers," she said. "But it only tastes so bad to me 'cause it only works on grown-ups." She turned her head to look up at Arthur, as though expecting him to confirm or deny this theory, to which he nodded.

"He's right."

She pouted. "Hmph. That's not fair. I want powers."

Arthur snorted briefly with amusement, before asking her, "You hungry? You, uh, want some cereal or something?"

"Mmhm," Marie nodded, immediately perking up. "Can I make it?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because last time, you spilled milk all over the damn place," Arthur said as he began pouring his coffee, then nodding in the direction of the dining table. "Now sit down."

"Fine," Marie grumbled, frowning and crossing her arms as she trudged her way over, and climbed into a chair. She gripped the sides of it and swung her legs impatiently as she waited for Arthur, who appeared moments later and placed the bowl of cereal in front of her, before taking a seat beside her, coffee in hand.

"So," he began. "What'd you do in Westchester?"

"Mmbhfmnn."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, kid."

Marie swallowed her bite of cereal before continuing. "We went to the arcade."

"Damn, did you even chew that?"

"And I saw Andy."

Arthur raised his mug to his lips. "And I'm sure you just lost your shit when you saw him, huh?"

"Thassa bad word."

"Yeah, so don't go repeatin' it," Arthur said.

As much of a pain in his rear the girl could be at times, Arthur had to admit that he relished in the time spent with his great-granddaughter - she had a smile and attitude that greatly mirrored her namesake. The thought of his late daughter made his lips downturn in a small frown, but he quickly brushed it aside when he noticed with a start the bruises that littered Marie's upper arm, somewhat obscured by her shirt sleeve, so he couldn't have seen them earlier, not without looking closely.

They were a multitude of hues, colors that normally should not be on someone's skin. There were garish purple splotches, roughly the size of a fist, while others were more grayish, and wrapped around her arm like long, scraggly fingers, as if someone had grabbed her. No, she couldn't have possibly gotten it from playing outside.

And it wasn't just the bruises. There were scratches, too, as though someone - or something - had dug its nails into her, tearing her flesh.

As he lowered his coffee mug to the table, Arthur's hand trembled slightly as a mixture of anger and concern rose within him. Who would do this to her? "Marie." He pointed at her arm.

She stopped eating and glanced up at him, then her eyes widened when she saw where he was pointing, and she hastily pulled her sleeve down in a feeble attempt to hide the injuries.

"No, let me see that," Arthur said, prying the girl's hand away so he could roll up the sleeve. "The hell happened? Did someone do this to you?"

"No," she shook her head, pulling her arm away and staring absently down into her cereal, her usual bright and cheery demeanor gone in an instant.

"That was the monsters."


	11. Chapter 11

"That was the monsters."

Arthur froze.

...what?

Just four words, one single phrase, but it was enough to make his blood run cold and set off more than a few alarm bells in his brain. Any other emotion he felt in that moment was now squashed by an unmitigated sense of unease. Was he hearing this right?

For all he knew, she could have just been messing with him, as she tended to do, but considering past events, he couldn't be so sure. And the fact that she had said with such an eerie nonchalance made it all the more unsettling.

"Quit pullin' my leg, kid," Arthur chuckled nervously, shifting in his seat to face the girl sitting beside him, who was absentmindedly stirring the now soggy cereal with her spoon. "What really happened?"

Marie frowned and dropped the spoon into the bowl with a clank. "I'm not!" The annoyance was evident in her little voice. "It was the monsters," she huffed, as though explaining something to a simple-minded person.

"What do you mean 'monsters'?"

She blinked up at him and cocked her head, and Arthur sighed. "What do they look like?"

She shrugged. "I can't see 'em. They just talk to me. They're not scary." She looked down at her arm then, and winced slightly as she trailed her fingers along the angry bruises scattered over it. "'Except when they get mad."

The whole thing had thrown Arthur off guard, but he quickly composed himself, swallowing the lump of fear rising like bile in his throat. He needed to find a way to handle this situation gracefully, unexpected and, frankly, downright creepy as it may have been.

He leaned forward, hands grasping his knees, his eyes earnest and searching. "You hear them? Well, what do they say?" He pressed her further. "And what in the hell did they do that for?"

He needed answers, and he had to get them in a way that wouldn't frighten the girl. If the case were what he suspected and the Power really had returned, what could it mean? And what would it possibly want from Marie?

Marie picked the spoon back up and twirled it between her fingers, seemingly mesmerized by her warped reflection in the back of it. "I was being bad. They tell me what to do and get mad when I do stuff I'm not supposed to." Her words were blunt and jarring.

"But they don't mean to hurt me," Marie continued. "They saved me!"

"What do you mean?"

Marie finally set the spoon down on the table and wrung her hands together, staring down at them. "I almost fell in da lake. I can't swim."

Arthur's brow furrowed as he recalled that day he found Marie sitting on the dock, and he slumped back in his seat when he began to piece everything together. His mind then went to Josephine, his past regrets crawling down his back for a split second. He remembered her face, so angry in his, the day they argued by the river how the water had risen up and grabbed him. Did it do the same to Marie? He remembered her telling him everything she had discovered upon arriving in Pine Springs. She had heard what she described as whispers that called out to her in the dead of night. Were they the "monsters" Marie could be referring to? Josephine later discovered that the Power had chosen her among other people to be its Keeper. He remembered what she had told him about the abilities the Power had gifted to its followers, and the fate of the poor bastards who dared defy it.

Could all of this mean...

Arthur raked a hand over his face. "Oh, Christ..." he murmured into it, only lifting his head up when felt a sudden tug at his sleeve.

"Am I in trouble?" Marie asked him.

"What? No, I-" Arthur cleared his throat, and turned to her once more, placing firm hands on her tiny shoulders. "I'm gonna need you to tell me exactly how you got those marks."

She stared up at him with the same doe-eyed look she always had, and Arthur felt a pang shoot through his chest.

She was just a small child, and clearly didn't understand the scope of the situation. He knew he wasn't going to get any clear answers from her. She was much too young, too innocent, to even begin to grasp the depth of the ancient, unidentifiable power that thrived in the vast forest around them. He could barely fathom it himself. It was something far greater and beyond all human comprehension. The thought of a little life that had only been ignited four years ago becoming ensnared in something so volatile made his stomach clench and churn.

It took a few moments before she finally spoke. "Um...I-I-" Her eyes wandered to the floor. "I tried to do a magic trick, but I tried too hard, and it really hurt. They got mad. They don't like it when I use too much magic."

Arthur's grip on her shoulders slackened. "What kind of trick?"

Marie's brightened as she reached over and picked the spoon back up from the table. "Lemme show you!"

Arthur's eyes widened. "Marie, wait-"

The tense atmosphere was momentarily broken by the soft thudding of footsteps coming down the stairs, and Marie's head snapped in the direction of two voices approaching from the other room, recognizing them as none other than her parents'. Arthur's stomach sank as another thought occurred to him: what was he going to tell them?

"Okay, but she has to watch Lord of the Rings with us," he heard Tom say.

"No," Harper laughed. "I don't think I'm ready for that."

"Why not?"

"Can you imagine her talking about Mordor all the time?"

Marie hopped out of her chair and bounded towards them. Arthur rose from his seat as well, his head spinning.

"One does not simply talk about Mordor, Mommy!" Marie exclaimed.

Harper gave an exaggerated sigh and shot Tom a look. "You already let her, didn't you?"

Tom scooped Marie up and tossed the squealing little girl in the air. "Fly, you fool!"

"I was wondering where you went," Harper grinned, lifting Marie out of Tom's arms. "You been keeping Grandpa company?"

"And not giving him any crap?" Tom added, ruffling Marie's hair.

Harper turned to Arthur, and her grin faded away to leave an expression of concern upon seeing his face. "Grandpa," she said, lowering Marie to the floor. "You alright? You look kinda pale."

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Tom cut in, "Uh, Marie, why are you just carrying a spoon around?"

"I was gonna show him a magic trick," Marie said innocently, pointing at Arthur.

"A magic trick, huh?" Tom grinned, kneeling down to her level. "Wanna show me?"

Harper's gaze remained fixed on her grandfather, who stared back at her with a grave expression painting his face, such as she had never seen before.

Something was clearly wrong.

Marie smiled and nodded eagerly, and held the spoon in front of her face.

Time seemed to suspend in the moments that followed.

The rest of the world seemed to blur around her as Marie bit her lip and squinted at the metal object in her hand, her heartbeat quickening, the power surging through her veins and crackling in her ears.

A hand flew to Harper's mouth as tears pricked her eyes, Tom's jaw dropped, and Arthur rushed to Marie's side as a bright green glow began to emanate from her hand and the spoon bent backwards.

A wave of panic passed through them all when Marie's eyes suddenly rolled back into her skull and a trickle of blood slid from her nose. She felt someone grab her shoulders, shake her, yell at her, but she didn't hear them as her mind gave way to darkness, and it was not of the sleeping or unconscious variety.


	12. Chapter 12

You've brought forth strife and caused her pain

I now reflect it back again

Troubles be gone, washed clean away

I set thy soul free today

Marie blinked, a needle-sharp pain shooting through her temples. For a moment, she didn't know where she was. Like a bubble rising through murky water to sunlight above, she slowly made her way to beng fully conscious and aware.

"Hm?" Marie managed out as she sat herself up, eyes focusing on the blurry image of two human beings in front of her, instantly recognizing one of them as her father, whose eyebrows were contorted in an extremely worried fashion, but for the life of her, she didn't know why. Come to think of it, she hadn't even a clue what happened. As far as she knew, she was just showing him something cool, and the next moment, she was here. Standing next to him, though, was a complete stranger.

"Marie!" Tom threw his arms around her in a tight bear hug, his heart surging with indescribable relief. Her weight in his arms was almost enough to send him over the edge, such comforting reassurance filling him, almost making him succumb to his grateful tears. "Thank god! Devon, I owe you my life."

"You can thank Ava," Devon shrugged. "She's the one who taught me that spell."

It was a simple cleansing spell used to rid Marie's soul of whatever had taken hold of it. All it required was a special mix of dried herbs, and a ritually charged candle inscribed with a rune for protection, which sat near her feet.

Finding her voice, Marie finally spoke. "W-w-what happened?" She rested her head on her father's shoulder.

Devon stooped down to pick up the candle and blew it out, then gave Marie a soft smile. "You should be more careful next time, kiddo. Thought we lost you there for a minute." She rolled up her jacket sleeve to reveal some faint scars on her forearm. "Scary stuff."

Marie's eyes went wide, and she buried her face in the crook of Tom's neck.

"So shy," Devon giggled. "You were just a little baby last time I saw you, though, so you don't remember me." Devon then nodded at Tom as she started toward the kitchen. "Whenever you're ready."

"Alright, just give us a minute," he called after her.

They sat together on the couch in a comfortable silence, Tom's arm draped over Marie's shoulders as she leaned up against him, her eyes were half-lidded, lulling with the heaviness of sleep as his warmth radiated into her. The events of that day had been significantly draining for the poor girl.

"Hey, Marie."

She opened her eyes to look up at him.

"Wanna hear a joke about pizza?"

She quirked a brow at him.

"Nevermind. It's too cheesy."

She smiled and closed her eyes again. "That's dumb." Her voice was heavy, tired.

"Got you to smile, at least," he nudged her. "But I need to tell you something. And I need you to listen carefully, okay?"

"Okay."

"I need you to promise me you won't use your powers again," Tom said. "Or tell anybody about them."

"Why?"

"Well," he paused, biting his lip. How was he going to explain something like this to a kid? "Uh, a long time ago, some bad people wanted powers like yours, and did some bad things to get them, and... a lot of bad things happened. We just don't want anything to happen to you, too."

"Like what?"

He shuddered. "I'll, uh, tell you when you're older, how's that?"

Marie, in all of her innocence, still didn't fully understand the situation, confusion crossing her face, but she nodded anyway. "Okay. I promise."

"Pinky promise?" Tom grinned, holding out his pinky to her. "C'mon, you know you can't break those."

She gave him a weak smile as they locked pinkies. "Pinky promise." Marie then shifted and laid on her side, resting her head in Tom's lap. "What's wrong with me?" The question stabbed him through the heart.

"There's nothing wrong with you," Tom said. "You're just different, that's all."

She turned slightly to look up at him. "Good different?"

"The best." He ran his fingers through her hair affectionately.

Marie smiled and resettled herself on his lap. "Love you."

"Love you more."

"I'm scared," she murmured, a yawn escaping her as she began to drift off again.

"Me too, lovebug. But we'll figure it out."

They sat like that for a few minutes, and when Tom was sure Marie had fallen asleep, he very carefully slid out from under her, as to not wake her, and stood up, placing a soft kiss on her cheek before making his way to the other room, where everyone was waiting for him.

The tension was palpable. They all sat on chairs around the kitchen table. For a few moments, no one spoke, unasked questions floating in the air.

"So," Elliot eventually started. "Anyone care to explain what the fuck is happening? Grandpa, who are they?" He gestured to Connor and Devon.

"Well, Elliot, we lead a group of people from Westchester and Pine Springs, dedicated to studying strange events caused by the Power, and looking for possible ways to put a stop to them," Connor said. "And based on everything your grandpa told us, we think Marie has some kind of connection to it."

"This can't be happening," Imogen said, rubbing at her temples. "Tell me this isn't happening."

"And she's just a little kid, too," Danni said. "This is fucked."

Parker shook his head in disbelief. "First shadow demons, then lake monsters, and now super-powered toddlers. What's next?"

Harper sat with her head in her hands. "Why her?" she whimpered into them.

"We have a theory," Connor turned his head to look at Arthur. "You said her great-grandmother was a Keeper, right?"

"Hold on," Tom interjected. "Are you saying it's hereditary?!"

"I mean, it's a possibility," Connor shrugged. "We don't know for sure."

"But now that I think about it, the Power has been a bit more active the past few years, so maybe, just maybe she was born with it," Devon added.

"She didn't get it from my side, that's for damn sure," Tom said dryly.

Harper was unamused. "Now's not the time."

Tom noticed her scowl before squeezing her hand.

Danni leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at Connor. "So what are you getting at?"

Connor placed his hands on his hips as he started to pace back and forth. "Since the last two Keepers, that we knew of, at least, are gone now, I think maybe the Power has picked a new one. Everything she told Arthur seems to fit the bill." He began ticking things off on fingers. "Seeing and hearing things that we can't, being able to take in some of the Power and gaining a new ability, getting hurt if she misuses it..."

"You're gonna wear a damn hole in the floor, boy." Arthur glared at Connor.

He stopped dead in his tracks before continuing. "It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"So is that why she went all Exorcist earlier?" Elliot questioned.

"Well, yeah," Devon said, nodding, recalling the conversation she and her friends had had with Cora Pritchard years ago. "There's only so much Power a person can take without going...strange. She's lucky I was able to get her out of that trance."

A deafening silence fell among them all as the startling revelation sprouted in the depths of their minds. Marie, a Keeper? A destined servant and protector to the Power, chosen to carry on Cora and Josephine's work? It was one thing a parent could never protect their children from; not what lurks in the dark, but the dark itself. The sense of something sinister, an unstoppable concept you can only see out of the corner of your eye. Something you don't know, but you know is coming for you. And they knew that even if they tried to shield her from it, she would eventually peel back the veil of the lies of childhood to stare the inescapable truth directly in the face: this young girl would have to bear this burden for the rest of her life.

"Well, I'll be damned," Arthur breathed.

Imogen's hands flew to her mouth. "My god, that's..."

"Devastating? Terrifying? Disturbing?" Tom cut in.

"To say the least."

"What are we going to do?" Harper spoke up.

"Get the hell out of Oregon while you can," Danni suggested.

"That might not be a good idea," Parker said.

"Oh, you have a better one?" Danni sneered, whipping around to face Parker. "What the hell are we supposed to tell her?! 'Oh, hey, Marie, you're probably the vessel to some ancient power that's responsible for countless deaths and destruction'? She'll be scarred for life!"

"Look, you're both right." Connor threw his hands up. "This isn't going to be easy, and as much as I hate to say it, she might never live a normal life because of this. And even if they were to leave the area, whatever entities that have attached themselves to Marie will just follow her, anyway."

"Which is why she needs us," Imogen said.

Connor nodded. "Exactly. As long as she has a good support system, she'll be alright." He leaned forward then, planting his hands on the table. "If we can figure out a way to get a handle on her powers, we might just have a chance at better understanding the Power and tame it somehow, instead of getting rid of it completely. What do you think? Tom?"

"I think I need some time to...process."

Connor turned then, eyes landing on Harper. "Harper?"

She sighed. "I...need some time to think, too. But if you get my daughter involved in anything dangerous, it's your ass."

Marie, who had not yet fully emerged from her slumber, had shuffled into the kitchen at the tail end of the conversation, her eyes still sleepy. She seemed oblivious to what was happening. Latching herself onto Tom's arm, she gently tugged at it to get his attention. "Oh, hey! You're awake," he said, lifting Marie onto his lap, who melted into him. She cast Connor a suspicious look. Another stranger?

"Hey, Marie," he smiled at her. "My name's Connor."

"H-hi," she replied softly, before turning to bury her face in Tom's chest.

"Devon and I have some people in Westchester who'd love to meet you." Connor briefly gestured to Devon and turned back to Marie. "What do you say?"

Marie looked up at her parents, who gave her encouraging smiles, before looking back at Connor and nodding. Her head flopped back against Tom's chest, her eyelids drooping as she descended in and out of a hazy consciousness.

"Marie?" Harper reached over to gently stroke her daughter's cheek.

"We love you."


	13. Epilogue

Fourteen years later...

The smell betrayed the beast before its ghastly appearance did.

The creature was massive - about as tall and bulky as a Golem, yet twice as dangerous. Its hulking form towered over the petite young woman at over eight feet tall. Its rotten flesh was bloated and ripped open in several places, hanging like ribbons from its exposed bones. It moved languidly, the bones could be heard rattling inside their fleshy casing with each step it took. A Bonewalker. A revenant guard, summoned by powerful magic. Marie had read about these creatures in the old tomes. They live to serve their masters, much like Golems, though unlike Golems, these shambling horrors aren't sentient. Yet they are able to cast curses upon the unfortunate fools who dare challenge them. Nasty magic that can suck the very life out of you. Brainless as they may be, these undead horrors are not an enemy to underestimate.

Suddenly, as though sensing Marie's presence, the creature turned in her direction. The face that stared at her, illuminated by the pale moonlight, was truly a vision of terror. Marie could see the milky white eyes sitting in their decaying sockets. Most of the flesh on its head had rotten away, leaving just patches of skin to cover the skull.

It unhinged its jaw, revealing a mountain range of jagged teeth, and let out a horrible sound that rattled Marie to the core - a deep, gurgling bellow. The monster lifted its rotten arms as if to welcome Marie in an embrace, and without warning a bright green glow began to emanate from its outstretched arms. Thankfully, Marie had prepared for this. Holding her forearm in front of her face, a shield of blue light bloomed from the sleeve of her coat. Her powers enhanced by her great-grandmother's rune armor should be enough to protect her, she hoped.

The malevolent spell hit the conjured shield with a loud crackle, and for a moment the whole forest was bathed in a bright, white light. The shield held and the curse was avoided, but there was no time to celebrate as the monster was now barreling toward Marie at full speed. She dove to her left, tumbling to the ground just seconds before it could reach her, causing it to slam its fist into a tree instead.

Marie sprang to her feet, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply as she felt a tingling sensation run through her whole body. The runes on her jacket began to burn with blue fire, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as the power rippled across the surface of her skin with a soft luminescence. The Bonewalker turned to face her once again, letting out a frustrated growl.

Marie lifted a glowing hand and flashed a wide grin at the abomination.

"My turn."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel is underway!


End file.
